CAMPAIGN NEWS: PRESS COVERAGE
LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
June 27, 2002
Re:
June 24, 2002 La. Spotlight editorial: "Budget holes missed in state's
new budget"
Dear Mr. Bankston:
I
write to comment on Melinda Deslatte's June 24, 2002 article titled "Budget
holes missed in state's new budget."
Ms. Deslatte correctly warns of the possible future budget shortfalls
but incorrectly seems to place blame on the legislature. In at least one area -- juvenile justice
-- any future budget shortfalls and problems will be squarely the fault of
the administration.
This
past session, Sen. Donald Cravins gave the state a golden opportunity to get
the state out of a very bad deal: the Tallulah juvenile prison. His amendment to HB 1 would have funded
the facility for 6 months and dedicated the remaining $8 million to community
based alternatives to costly and ineffective incarceration. The amendment never made it out of the
finance committee because Commissioner Drennen warned that if the state abandoned
the Tallulah contract, the state's bond rating would suffer. This is in spite of the fact that for
years now Secretary Stalder has told the legislature that the Tallulah contract
is voidable at no penalty to the state.
Ms.
Deslatte also missed the real potential for increased costs in our juvenile
justice system. Two years ago,
the state signed an historic settlement agreement with the U.S. justice department
that, if implemented, would have transformed the state's juvenile prisons
into safe, effective facilities that provided young people an opportunity
to turn their lives around. While
there have been improvements in education and medical care, all of Louisiana's
facilities remain dangerous places where youth are more likely to be injured
from violence than rehabilitated. Due
to the enormous problems that remain, and the state's refusal to take the
dramatic steps necessary to fix them -- such as closing Tallulah and sending
unequivocal orders to staff that violence is not tolerated -- there is the
very real possibility that the state will be faced with millions of dollars
in litigation costs that are sure to result from its efforts to get out of
the settlement agreement early next year.
Secretary
Stalder is correct that he and the Governor requested an extra $6 million
for community services and that the legislature did not give it to him. What Ms. Deslatte failed to point out
was that he sought this in addition to
the over $120 million that he spends on juvenile justice, with the majority
going to ineffective, dangerous and wasteful prison beds. The fact is that the problem with Louisiana's
juvenile justice system is not a lack of money, it is a lack of leadership.
Experts
estimate that there are anywhere from 350-600 non-violent youth who do not
need expensive juvenile prison beds, but could be better served in alternative
programs in our communities without a risk to public safety. Fortunately
there has been leadership on this issue.
Last year, after Chief Justice Calogero raised the critical need for
reform, Rep. Mitch Landrieu sponsored HCR 94 establishing a joint legislative
juvenile justice study commission. During
public hearings this past winter, there was near unanimity in the testimony
of the need for more community based alternatives and less prison beds.
The
answer is not to spend more money, but to spend it wisely. Left to the current administration, Louisiana's
juvenile justice budget will balloon, leaving us with not only the highest
incarceration rate for kids, but millions of dollars of community programs
layered on top of the prison beds. There is a better way, one that leaves more options for effective
treatment and rehabilitation for prosecutors and judges while providing prison
beds for violent offenders. I
only hope the legislature and Supreme Court continue to lead on this issue
because it sure is not forthcoming from the administration.
Sincerely,
David J. Utter, Esq.
Director