Pennsylvania
Articles
09/29/2008 – The Patriot-News: “Editorial: Rehabilitation to Offer Nonviolent Second Chance“
“Nonviolent offenders in Pennsyl vania are on the threshold of getting opportunities to reduce prison time through rehabilitation.”
09/26/2008 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Rendell Signs Bills for Early Release of Prisoners”, by Angela Couloumbis
“Gov. Rendell signed a package of bills into law yesterday that allows releasing some prisoners early in an effort to rein in costs and tackle the growing problem of overcrowding in state and county prisons.”
09/22/2008 – Associated Press: “Pa. House Sends Prison Crowding Bills to Governor”, by Mark Scolforo
“A package of prison- and sentencing-reform bills that aim to reduce the number of nonviolent inmates and cut costs for counties passed the state House overwhelmingly on Monday, and Gov. Ed Rendell signaled he would probably sign them.”
09/18/2008 – Philadelphia Inquirer: “Senate Backs Early Release for Nonviolent Pa. Criminal”, by Marc Levy
“Legislation designed to move thousands of nonviolent criminals out of Pennsylvania prisons more quickly and rein in booming correctional costs is nearing final approval.”
07/03/2008 – Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pa. Legislature Mulls Bill on Early Prisoner Release”, by Robert Moran
“Pennsylvania lawmakers are set to vote today on a measure that would allow prison inmates to be freed before their minimum sentence is completed.”
06/27/2008 – State College: “Recidivism: The Point of No Return”, by Jeff Hawkes
“Pennsylvania will spend $1.6 billion this year to incarcerate 46,000 inmates, about 4,400 more than its 27 prisons were meant to handle.”
04/21/2008 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Prison Bills Aim to Ease Pa.’s Burden”, by Amy Worden
“A package of four bills modeled in part on the New York laws and supported by Rendell cleared the state House this month and heads to the Senate, where it has leadership support.”
04/07/2008 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Punishment Alone Won’t Deter Criminals”, by State Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf
“America’s prisons can barely contain an inmate population that has reached an all-time high. The influx of inmates at correctional facilities has left prison officials struggling to find enough beds, and demanding that states come up with billions more in funding to house inmates and construct more facilities.”
04/03/2008 – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “House Takes Up Bills Aimed at Pa. Prison Overcrowding”, by Moriah Balingit
“Pennsylvania’s county jails would become less crowded and some state prisoners would qualify for early release under legislation that was fine-tuned yesterday by the state House of Representatives.”
02/29/2008 – The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “1 in Every 100 Americans in Jail”, by Moriah Balingit
“Pennsylvania had the largest prison population growth in the Northeast last year, part of a national trend of proliferating prison populations in which more than one in 100 American adults now is incarcerated, according to a study released yesterday by the Pew Center’s Public Safety Performance Project.”
12/13/2007 – The Scranton Times-Tribune: “Senate Committee Oks Prison Bill”, by Robert Swift
“Legislation to ease overcrowding in state and county prisons and establish new sentencing options for nonviolent offenders was approved Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
10/15/2007 – The Philadelphia Daily News: “Ex-Offenders’ Second Chance”, by Shirley Kitchen
“In an effort to clear the path to professional success for non-violent ex-offenders, Pennsylvania needs a “second-chance” law.”
10/02/2007 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pa. Must Tackle Crowded Prisons”, by William DiMascio
“Philadelphia jails are overflowing, with more than 9,000 men and women in confinement, many housed three to a cell and locked down for 23 hours a day. State institutions also are at 110 percent of capacity with almost 46,000 prisoners. Anticipating the worst, the Department of Corrections has plans to build new prisons, reactivate a mothballed one, and expand others.”
09/06/2007 – Altoona Mirror: “Explore Sentencing Alternatives”
“Gov. Ed Rendell and state associations representing district attorneys and county commissioners want state lawmakers to consider proposals that would allow for shorter sentences or for alternative programs that focus on rehabilitation.”
8/30/2007 – The Express Times: “Rendell’s Plans Aim to Ease Prison Strain”, by Sarah Cassi
“Gov. Ed Rendell wants the state to allow early release for nonviolent offenders and to move some inmates from overcrowded county prisons to state facilities as part of prison reform plans.”
8/26/2007 – The Intelligencer: “ State Inmates Fill Area County Jails”, by Jenna Portnoy
“Bucks and Montgomery counties led Pennsylvania in the number of state-sentenced prisoners serving time in county jail last year, something local officials have long complained about.”
7/16/2007 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pa. Budget Passage Likely Today; GOP Claims on Taxes”, by Amy Worden
“More than two weeks past deadline, the $27.2 billion state spending plan was approved unanimously last night by a joint House-Senate committee, clearing one last hurdle to final passage expected in both chambers today.”
7/01/2007 – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “New Initiative Tackles Prison Overcrowding”, by Paula Reed Ward
“With the report last week that the number of people imprisoned in this country has reached an all-time high, Pennsylvania is no exception.
The state’s inmate population has grown 21 percent in the past seven years, and on May 31 stood at 45,505.”
6/21/2007 – The Intelligencer: “Legislation Could Cut Bucks County’s Prison Costs“
“Pending legislation could ease prison overcrowding by limiting a judge’s ability to let state prisoners serve time in county jails.”
4/30/2007 – The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Opinions and Editorials: Helping Prison Inmates Return to Society”
“To ease this burden to society, we need to spend more money on programs that help former inmates reenter our communities, rather then simply spending money on prisons.”
4/23/2007 – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “No Black and White Answers in Graying of State Prisons”
“Across the country, prisons house more elderly inmates than ever before. Pennsylvania incarcerated a record 606 inmates ages 65 or older in 2006, up from fewer than 200 in 1990, according to the state Department of Corrections.”
2/08/2007 – The Morning Call: “State Seeks to Expand Strained Prison System – Measure Aims to Offset Increasing Inmate Population, Avoid Building Facilities”
“With the state’s cellblocks bursting at the seams, the Rendell administration is asking the General Assembly to sign off on a multimillion-dollar expansion of the strained state prison system.”
1/17/2007 – The Daily Item: “Cost of Corrections is Increasing, Commissioner Says”, by Jaime North
“The county commissioners spent a bulk of the day Tuesday discussing concerns facing the local jail, which is at 197 percent capacity; the overworked judicial system; and impacting costs stemming from societal problems.”
1/10/2007 – The Daily and Sunday Review: “State Must Not Follow County’s Prison Example”
“The need for a newer, larger prison to serve the needs of Bradford County has been a controversial topic. The multi-million-dollar addition is well under construction. It is no secret we opposed the project as unnecessary because alternative means of reducing the prison population were not given a proper chance to prove their effectiveness.”
1/08/2007 – The Citizens Voice: “Cut Prison Costs with Alternatives”
“Incarceration and prison construction are among Pennsylvania’s leading growth industries, which isn’t good for the government or the society as a whole.”
“Pennsylvania’s inmate population has grown by more than 1,000 prisoners every year for the last three years, and soon will exceed 44,000 for the first time. That means that one in about 273 Pennsylvanians is a prisoner.”
1/03/2007 – The Associated Press: “State Corrections Officials to Reopen Western Penitentiary”, by Jennifer C. Yates
“With the inmate population continuing to grow, state officials will spend $33 million to reopen a 125-year-old prison that has been closed for nearly two years, the Department of Corrections said Wednesday.”
12/29/2006 – Pittsburgh Tribune Review: “ County Jail Population Nears Capacity”, by Bobby Kerlik
“With the Allegheny County Jail nearing capacity, judges and county officials are relying more on alternative housing and home detention to reduce the inmate population and save taxpayers money.”