Budget cuts could lead to the early release of 3,300 Tennessee prisoners

With a $1.5 billion budget shortfall becoming more and more of a possibility in Tennessee, desperate times are calling for desperate measures. Governor Phil Bredesen is asking state agencies to make deep budget cuts of up to nine percent for the 2010 budget year. The Tennessee Department of Correction was among the first to present its plan to the governor this week. Commissioner George Little’s proposed cuts are still sending shockwaves across the state.

Little told Bredesen in order to cut $53 million from his budget, the Department of Correction would have to set 3,300 inmates free earlier than expected.

“Frankly, we’re at the point now where there isn’t anything else to give other than beds,” Little said. “If it wasn’t for the budget, we wouldn’t be talking about any sort of early releases.“

When Little presented his budget to the governor Monday, he told Bredesen “non-violent” offenders (burglars, robbers, and drug dealers) who are nearing the end of their sentences would be in line to be released.

“If we have to accept the full $53 million in cuts, we would have to release offenders early,” Little said.

The news comes as a shock to area sheriffs. After all, their counties contract with the state to house state inmates.

“I realize cost and things are important, but it’s a great concern to us because of public safety,” Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes said. “If those folks, even a small portion of them, go back into the crime field so to speak and habitually start committing crimes, your property damage, your insurance costs, your thefts, your losses are going to skyrocket.”

A combined 157 state prisoners call the Carter, Washington, and Unicoi County jails home. Of those prisoners, dozens would likely qualify for early release under Little’s plan. Sheriffs in those counties fear that plan could be a recipe for disaster.

“If you were a victim, the last thing you want to see is someone who gets sentenced to three or four years to get out because of a financial situation,” Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal said. “If the person gets out of jail and doesn’t serve that time and doesn’t realize what they did was wrong, they’re probably going to be a repeat offender. That’s what worries me more than anything. After we go to all the trouble to convict these people and to incarcerate these people, I think there needs to be a better plan.“

That is up to Governor Bredesen to decide. The governor now has until January to nail down his budget and think about its possible effects. At the beginning of 2010, he will present his recommendations to the state legislature.

The Department of Correction says the 2010 budget could be a sign of things to come.

“We’re going to set the tone now for the next 10 years and this budget situation that Tennessee’s in is not going to go away next year,” Little said.

According to Little, that’s especially concerning since the state projects the prison population will increase by 4,000 to 5,000 inmates by the end of next decade.