Parolees may play part in DOCS budget
Along with the proposal to form a Prison Closure Commission (see page 3), Gov.
Eliot Spitzer is proposing a different approach to operating the state prison
system.
During the past decade, roughly 8,000 inmates have left the system. One proposal
the governor and the state Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) is looking
at is having parole violators go from trial directly to prison, instead of a
county holding tank. This may help fill some of the facility vacancies,
according to Tom Donahue, PEF Executive Board member and labor-management chair
for DOCS.
Another area is more emphasis on transition back into the community. And that’s
where PEF leaders are looking carefully at the proposed increase in contracts by
65 percent in the DOCS budget.
Donahue said this may be related to the work release program.
“There are a lot of companies that want a piece of the action. We can train
inmates in a vocational skill, but some of these outside companies actually help
them to get placed in a job with that skill. That may be a concept the governor
is reviewing,” Donahue said. “If it is something our people can do, PEF will
certainly advocate for the jobs.” — Deborah A. Miles
The Communicator March
2007
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