REDUCE PRISON POPULATION

Of two proposals for lowering costs in the state prison system, we think
one showed promise while the other laid an egg. State Corrections
Department director Jon Ozmint stated recently that South Carolina needs to
seek alternative sentences for nonviolent offenders to reduce a growing
prison population. That proposal, we think, makes sense at two levels.

For one thing, getting nonviolent offenders out from behind bars would free
space for the 1,200 new prisoners incarcerated each year. For another
thing, it would allow thousands of current inmates the opportunity to
become productive citizens.

The state's prison system is in dire straits. It has reached its capacity
of 23,500 inmates and has grown 5 percent a year. And dealing with an
additional 1,200 prisoners a year comes at a time when the Corrections
Department budget has been cut $72 million in the past three years.

The state's prisons, however, are full of inmates doing time for simple
drug possession, check kiting, failure to pay child support and other
nonviolent offenses. And the cost of housing those prisoners is enormous.

Ozmint is not suggesting the wholesale release of a certain class of
inmates. While he has offered few specifics so far, he says victims, judges
and attorneys should have input as to which prisoners become eligible for
alternative sentencing.

Ozmint also believes mandatory minimum sentences have contributed to
overcrowding. And with mandatory sentencing, authorities can't offer
incentives for good behavior.

Locking up prisoners can't be the state's answer for all offenders. Even
those who say that even nonviolent inmates belong in prison must concede
that the state has not budgeted enough money to do that.

Parole, including electronic monitoring of parolees, could serve as a
workable and less costly alternative for many inmates. And, instead of
being a drain on the state, they could be working and paying taxes.

As to the other plan hatched by Ozmint, we are less enthusiastic. He says
the state should expand current production of eggs on prison farms from
10,000 to 100,000 a day. Ozmint reasons that with 100,000 eggs produced
daily, prisons could take care of daily consumption rates of 72,000 eggs
and sell the rest in states other than South Carolina.

The math probably is sound. But other factors must be figured into the
equation. For example, a large-scale egg operation is a dirty, difficult
business. And chickens are vulnerable to a variety of ailments that can
wipe out the entire operation practically overnight.

Furthermore, eggs are cheap. It seems that other agricultural pursuits
might be more lucrative.

Ozmint, we think, will get better results by concentrating on sentencing
alternatives and leaving the egg production to farmers.