NEW-INMATE POPULATION TOPS THE CHARTS

Drug Crimes Cause Biggest Increase; Officials Are Unable To Explain Why

(AP) -- Nearly 3,000 prisoners were locked up in June, the largest number
of new inmates in any single month in Florida in more than a decade.

The bulge in the state prison population, which caught officials by
surprise, was largely driven by a big jump in the number of people
incarcerated for drug crimes, according to state Department of Corrections
figures.

The immediate problem - a looming lack of bed space - may have been
resolved last week when Gov. Jeb Bush signed an emergency measure shifting
more than $65 million from reserves into a flurry of new prison construction.

But officials now are starting to question what is causing such a large and
unexpected spike in prison admissions while, as politicians are quick to
point out, the crime rate has dropped to record lows.

With drug crimes causing about a quarter of the new admissions, some
advocates for drug treatment are pointing to cuts in spending on treatment
programs for prisoners and people who otherwise might go to prison.

"There is little substance-abuse treatment available to offenders," John
Daigle, executive director of the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Association, said Monday.

Cuts In Treatment Spending

Daigle's group is concerned that cuts in abuse programs for prisoners
simply mean they're more likely to commit drug crimes when they get out -
and the first group of prisoners who've been denied treatment may now be
returning to society, only to offend again.

"It's part of the puzzle," Daigle said. "Not a one-to-one correlation, but
they do need to restore those cuts for substance-abuse treatment."

Spending on treatment for prisoners has dropped from $15.5 million two
years ago to about half that amount this year. Diversionary programs for
people on probation, house arrest and other programs meant to keep them out
of prison while being punished have been cut by $6 million in the last two
years.

Several experts think the decrease in treatment spending might be one
factor contributing to the sudden increase in prison admissions, but most
said it's overly simplistic to directly link the phenomena without
factoring in other elements.

"One of the biggest predictors of recidivism is employment, and we are in
an economic slowdown," said Thomas Blomberg, a criminologist at Florida
State University.

Still, Blomberg said Florida's prison system likely mirrors a national
problem: programs aimed at helping prisoners readjust to life outside
generally are lacking.

"Nationally, there has been a general decline in vocational, educational
and drug-treatment programs," Blomberg said. "It could be that this is one
of the factors driving this sudden increase. It could be something else."

Funding Explanation Is Too Simple

Florida Corrections Secretary James Crosby has been charged with finding
out what is going on, and a department spokesman said a report would be put
together in the coming weeks. Prosecutors have said they're generally at a
loss to explain the increase, too.

The state's top drug-abuse fighter, Jim McDonough, said he doesn't think
cuts in treatment funding have been much of a factor. At least not yet, he
said, because they haven't had time. Since the cuts were made two years
ago, "not many of them have come out of prison without having gotten
treatment and then had time to commit another crime," he said.

McDonough, director of the state's Office of Drug Control Policy, notes
most people sent to prison for drug crimes are drug dealers, not small-time
users who could be helped by treatment.

Lawmakers, even while approving more money for prisons, also are looking
for answers.

"I do think we need more treatment," said Democratic state Rep. Dan Gelber
of Miami Beach, a former prosecutor. "But it's too simplistic to say more
treatment equals reduced demand" for prison space.