Prisons propose moving inmates to save money

INDIANAPOLIS -- The new head of Indiana's prisons says the system can be operated within the spending freeze proposed by Gov. Mitch Daniels even though thousands of new inmates are expected in coming years.\nNew Department of Correction Commissioner J. David Donahue told legislators Tuesday that the agency would shift many inmates to lower security facilities, focus on community corrections and help better prepare inmates for life outside prison.\nHe also said the department will look for ways to be more efficient, including sharing resources between nearby facilities, making sure staffing levels are appropriate and avoiding the costs of housing inmates in surrounding states.\nBefore Daniels was elected and named Donahue commissioner, the agency had requested a funding increase of more than $100 million for operating costs.\nBut Donahue said the system can function within the spending freeze limits of $626 million for the next fiscal year and $627 million for the fiscal year 2006-2007.\n"We are prepared to move forward with the current budget," Donahue told members of the House Ways and Means Committee at a budget hearing. "It's a new day."\nMinimum security facilities hold about 10 percent of the state's inmate population, but a new classification of inmates would put 33 percent of inmates in such facilities. Minimum security prisons cost the state less money because they require less staffing and technology to house inmates.\nDonahue said work release and drug treatment programs at minimum security prisons can help prepare inmates for when they leave prison. He said at least 74 percent of the state's inmates are in prison because of drugs.\n"If they need support systems, we need to make sure they're available," Donahue said.\nHe also said the state can save money by housing its own prisoners rather than contracting with other states for prison beds. Donahue recently brought Indiana inmates back from four Kentucky jails and is looking into bringing inmates back from a private prison in Kentucky.\nThe demand for space could increase as more people are sent to prison. The male inmate population is expected to climb from 21,916 in 2004 to 27,562 in 2011, according to the Department of Correction. The female population is expected to jump from 1,844 to 2,637 during that same time.