District attorney office programs easing prison population issues
Recent action taken by the Fayette County district attorney’s office and the courts has curbed transportation and incarceration costs at the prison.
Prison Warden Brian Miller lauded the efforts being undertaken by District Attorney Rich Bower during the monthly prison board meeting Thursday, adding that he has watched the cost-related figures decrease over the past several months.
“(The efforts of keeping inmate transports) at a minimum has really helped us and the sheriff’s office,” said Miller.
Bower, who also serves on the prison board, said that his office is tracking the court schedule and only requiring those inmates tied to the pleading or sentencing hearings to be present.
“We are trying to be efficient,” said Bower. “We are trying to ensure we don’t have everyone under the sun coming (to the county) and then not needing them.”
The numbers will be further decreased when a video-system is revamped and allow video-conferencing, added Bower.
“We think the (system) will be back up in a couple of weeks, then we can start doing video pleas and sentencing and not bring (the out-of-area) housed inmates here,” he said.
Bower said that he and the judges in Fayette County Court, are working to sentence first-time drug offenders to intermediate punishment, rather than incarceration, to not only ease the prison population, but to also fast-track them through drug and/or alcohol rehabilitation.
A first-time offender found with a small amount of heroin or cocaine should be punished, said Bower, but also rehabilitated, not sitting for three to 12 months in the lockup.
Admission to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program is not an option in such cases, he added.
“Putting them in prison is self-defeating,” he said. “With intermediate punishment, they have to (comply with stringent guidelines) that allow for the rehabilitation. A jail sentence doesn’t help a 19-year-old kid change his life. A three-to 12-month intermediate punishment (sentence) shows them there is punishment involved, but at the same time we are trying to help them.”
Bower also advised the board that beginning in July, Central Court have a dedicated day to hear cases involving driving under the influence to expedite the matters.
Also, the magisterial district judges will begin conducting permissible non-jury trials to ease the court schedule.
“Certain crimes are not subject to having a jury trial,” said Bower. “We are trying to streamline everything.
“Everyone is working cooperatively to make the system efficient.”
Prison board member and county Commission Chairman Vincent Vicites, meanwhile, said he, too, has witnessed the more efficient system and the cost decrease.
“It is a stark contrast to the slow pace taking place in 2010,” he said. “These approaches are really helping the (prison population figures) and saving taxpayer dollars without jeopardizing the safety of the institution.”
In other matters, the board also conducted the following business:
n Directed Miller to provide a detailed prison population report at future meetings, to include the crime committed and imposed sentence for inmates. The report is to include a separate document for those housed in the main and auxiliary facility.
n Reported current prison population stands at 199 men and 39 women housed at the prison with three males housed at the Greene County Prison.