Batesville, MS—
Fast facts
- Budget cuts in every department
- Corrections Commissioner proposes early release
- Sheriff's, Police Chiefs upset
(Batesville, MS 2/24/2010) Budget cuts in Mississippi could put more criminals on the streets. A proposal by the state's Corrections Commissioner could offer some prisoners early parole to help cope with an almost 30 million dollar shortage in the department's budget.
As you might expect, it's got law officers hopping mad.
Governor Haley Barbour has cut the budget in every corner of state government. For most it means a little belt tightening, but when it comes to inmates in state prisons, those cuts take on a whole new meaning. It may result in more criminals on the streets.
Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps says he plans to ask the Mississippi parole board for the early release of as many as two thousand state prisoners, all to accommodate budget cuts.
It was a hot topic at this regional meeting of North Mississippi Sheriff's and Police Chief's hosted by Panola Sheriff Otis Griffin. "What is it gonna do? That's gonna put 'em right back out here doin' the same thing they were doin'" said DeSoto Sheriff Bill Rasco.
These lawmen take their jobs seriously, and say if you take the potential for punishment away from crime, there's no deterrent.
Many expect if the state releases inmates, crime will go up. "I understand that the economy is bad, but is it bad enough that we can take criminals and put 'em back out? It's gonna continue to be bad." said Panola Sheriff Otis Griffin.
Most say they'd expect more burglaries and drug crimes if the state sets inmates free to save money.
Sheriffs I talked to said almost categorically in their experience they majority of early release prisoners go back to committing the same crimes that put them in prison in the first place, and some of them come out smarter, knowing better how not to get caught.
Police say it would make their jobs harder.
"They've committed a crime, they're not down there on a vacation." said Batesville Police Chief Tony Jones.
Jones says releasing prisoners early could make repeat victims out of some people, if the criminals decide they didn't get what they wanted from some folks on the first go-'round.
He says it's wrong for victims to even have to see criminals on the street. "I truly believe every citizen in this County, in this state had rather pay more money build more holding facilities to keep the people there where they have the law." said Jones.
But that doesn't seem to be an option. Rather, the Department of Corrections expects cuts of 29.4 million.
DeSoto Sheriff Bill Rasco says inmates will come right to our doorstep. "You know they are. You know they're coming to DeSoto County because we've put quite a few people in jail that's from Memphis and committing crimes and they're gonna be living in Memphis coming right back to our County doin' the same thing and I don't' like it." said Rasco.
Epps believes only about twenty five percent of the two thousand inmates he wants to parole would get out, but the law officers I talked to say even one more criminal in our midst is one too many.
