Report: Georgia prison could cost nearly $100M more in five years
Posted On Friday, February 16, 2007 at at 12:15 PM by Dan
From Ledger-Enquirer.com (Associated Press)
ATLANTA - Georgia's prison population is projected to grow by more than 5,700 inmates over the next five years, an increase that would cost the state nearly $100 million, according to a study released Wednesday.
The report by the Pew Charitable Trusts projects that the U.S. will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison by 2011 - costing taxpayers an additional $27.5 billion - if states don't make changes to their incarceration policies.
Georgia's projected prison population gain would amount to an 11 percent increase over the current population. At the current annual cost of about $17,000 per inmate, that would amount to a cost increase of more than $98 million, according to the report.
The report says rising overall populations and state policy decisions like mandatory minimum sentences and reduced parole grants are contributing to the spiraling prison populations.
In states like Georgia, the growth in methamphetamine cases also was cited as key factor.
Meth-related admissions more than tripled in Georgia between 1999 and 2005, the study says.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/16696520.htm
