Panhandle ACLU Meets in South Walton

 The Panhandle chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union met at P.J.'s Coffee in Santa Rosa Beach on Feb. 16, with 15 in attendance.

Charlotte Crane, former Pensacola News Journal business editor, spoke on the topic of "Prisons - the system is in need of serious reform."

Crane's hour long presentation focused on the costs, both fiscal and societal, of maintaining Florida's present prison system.

"In the present economic climate, we are faced with widespread unemployment, elderly people experiencing the loss of lifetime savings, massive mortgage foreclosures, runaway expenditures and a global recession. In this environment, why should we care about prison reform?" Crane began her comments by saying.

According to Crane, prison expenditures are increasingly a considerable part of the present fiscal crisis, and are highly ineffective in addressing the problems they were intended to combat.

"With a recidivism rate of 70%, if this were school, they'd be getting an ‘F'," she said.

Crane presented statistics and case histories supporting her position.

"One in 100 people in the U. S. - 2.3 million people - are in prison. This is the highest rate of any country in the world," said Crane. "There are 100,000 in prison in Florida, giving this state the third largest prison population in the country," she said.

"In terms of dollars spent, Florida is number two, spending $2.3 billion per annum," stated Crane. "It costs $19,000 a year to feed and house a prisoner in Florida. It cost $309 million to add 20 prison beds - about the same amount by which we are reducing the education budget in Florida."

Crane cited evidence demonstrating "Prison systems have become law-driven rather than justice-driven." She gave examples of 30-45 year sentences for DUI convictions involving manslaughter, a six-year sentence in the case of a Milwaukee man shooting his lawn mower and numerous life sentences without parole in cases involving juveniles.

 Crane said the original prison objectives of deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation have changed. Prison authorities have completely deserted educational, vocational and drug rehabilitation programs in favor of "becoming an industry." The tendency of rural areas without significant industry to provide jobs is to welcome new prisons with open arms, said Crane.

She said that there are 30 prisons operating in the Panhandle, and one prison returned $1 million in income to the state, as the result of selling prison services to federal customers.

"Should we be celebrating the opening of a new prison as a provider of jobs?" Crane asked.

Crane alluded to "companies in the prison business with profits in the millions."

"This is part of the problem," she maintained.