| COMMUNITY SENTENCING COSTS TAXPAYERS |
| A RECENT ARTICLE IN THE "SUNDAY OKLAHOMAN" BY WRITER DIANA BALDWIN, TOUTS THE GREAT WORK OF THE COMMUNITY SENTENCING APPROACH TO OFFENDERS. THE ARTICLES PREMISE IS THAT "FORMER" OPPOSERS TO THE COMMUNITY SENTENCING APPROACH HAVE "NOW" COME AROUND TO IT'S GREAT WORTH AND VIRTUES... THE ARTICLE CITES ONLY ONE CASE OF A SUPPOSED " TURNED AROUND" OFFENDER AS ITS SOLE SOURCE OF "SUCCESS". THE ARTICLE FURTHER STATES THAT IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY'S PROGRAM , THE COST HAS BEEN ANNUALIZED TO $1130.00 PER OFFENDER...BUT THAT STATEWIDE, THE AVERAGE IS $1,470.00 PER OFFENDER. I AM FURTHER DISMAYED AT THE COMMENTS CONCERNING "WHAT" COMMUNITY SENTENCING DOES TO "MAKE THIS DIFFERENCE"...EVERYTHING LISTED IN THE ARTICLE ARE "CURRENT" PRACTICES IN PROBATION AND PAROLE DIVISION OF THE DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS. IT FURTHER STATES THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN "NORMAL" PROBATION AND COMMUNITY SENTENCING IS THE "INTENSIVE APPROACH"???? DOES THIS MEAN THAT OFFENDERS ARE "WATCHED/ SUPERVISED/ MONITORED" AT A MORE INTENSE LEVEL THAN REGULAR PROBATION? I ASSURE YOU THIS IS NOT THE CASE. COMMUNITY SENTENCED OFFENDERS ARE ONLY MONITORED WHILE IN TREATMENT, SOMETIMES BY THE TREATMENT PROVIDER THEMSELVES. DO THEY VISIT THE OFFENDER AT HOME/ WORK/ OR OTHER LOCATIONS? NO, IT'S NOT REQUIRED.....HOW IS THIS PUBLIC SAFETY??? DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS "FACTS AT A GLANCE" FOR JUNE 2001 INDICATES THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY ONLY 1,691 OFFENDERS ON THE PROGRAM, AT AN AVERAGE COST OF $1,470 PER YEAR...PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS IN OKLAHOMA CURRENTLY OVERSEE OVER 30,000 OFFENDERS AT AN AVERAGE COST OF $745.00 PER YEAR...WHERE'S THE BENEFIT???THE OFFENDERS IN THE COMM. SENTENCING PROGRAM ARE "MODERATE" RISK, WITH GENERALLY ONLY A 30%- 50% RISK OF REOFFENSE....PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS SERVE "HIGH RISK" AND "MODERATE" RISK OFFENDERS. MY TEAMS RECORDS HAVE DEMONSTRATED A GOOD SUCCESS RATE OF ONLY 1.6%- 2.4% FAILURE EACH MONTH..ANNUALIZED THIS IS ONLY A 24% FAILURE RATE WHILE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR REOFFENSE IS 65%. I CONTINUE TO BE DISHEARTENED BY THE LEGISLATURES APPROACH TO SPENDING "MY" MONEY....SUCCESS HAS "NOT" BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY COMMUNITY SENTENCING APPROACH THAT IS "SIGNIFICANTLY" BETTER THAN WHAT IS NOW IN PLACE... THE DEMONSTRATED COSTS ARE NEARLY DOUBLE . THERE ARE ONLY 263 PROBATION OFFICERS IN THE STATE....WATCHING 30,000+ OFFENDERS.....I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY COMMUNITY SENTENCING STAFF ARE INVOLVED , TREATMENT PROVIDERS PAID, LSI CONTRACTS PAID, ETC.......DOES CSD PROVIDE PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT? YES! DOES CSD PROVIDE GREATER PUBLIC SAFETY? UNDETERMINED! IN KAY COUNTY OKLAHOMA, APPROXIMATELY 13 OFFENDERS HAVE RECEIVED "COMMUNITY SENTENCE " SENTENCES. I PERSONALLY KNOW THAT AT LEAST 4 OF THIS 13 HAVE COMMITTED NEW FELONY OFFENSES (CHARGED). ONE SPECIFIC OFFENDER WAS ARRESTED IN TEXAS , COMING ACROSS THE BORDER WITH OVER 300 LBS. OF MARIJUANA. "WHO" WAS MONITORING THIS OFFENDER AND HIS WHEREABOUTS?? NOT PROFESSIONAL PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS, I ASSURE YOU. 4 OF 13 RELATES TO A 31% FAILURE RATE IN MY BOOKS......IS THIS THE IMPROVED CONDITION OF "PUBLIC SAFETY" WE ARE SEEKING??? I THINK NOT........... THE 2001 ANNUAL REPORT BY COMMUNITY SENTENCING IS NOW OUT. IT TOUTS IT'S SUCCESS AT 95%...HOW CAN THIS BE? IN KAY COUNTY AL0NE, THE FAILURE RATE HAS BEEN NEARLY 50%....I CAN TELL YOU HOW? COMMUNITY SENTENCING DOES NOT CONSIDER OFFENDERS WHO RECEIVE A NEW FELONY OR MISDEMEANOR CHARGE AS A "FAILURE"...SUCCESS IS "ONLY" THOSE OFFENDERS WHO HAVE "COMPLETED" THE PROGRAM...IS THIS RIGHT? NO, NO , NO...MY STATS SAY THAT "ANY OFFENDER WHO COMMITS A NEW CRIME, FELONY OR MISDEMEANOR" IS A FAILURE....THIS IS REALISTIC...CSD FIGURES ARE BOGUS AND MISLEADING TO THE PUBLIC...NOW, THE CURRENT COST OF OFFENDERS IN THE CSD PROGRAM ARE ABOUT $2,000 PER YEAR AND RISING...WITH ABOUT 2600 OFFENDERS IN THE PROGRAM..OUR COSTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO $1.87 PER DAY OR $687 PER YEAR...PARTIALLY THIS IS DUE TO THE REDUCED NUMBER OF PROBATION AND PAROLE OFFICERS AND THE RISING NUMBER OF OFFENDERS. FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS, MY TEAM HAS DEMONSTRATED A 99.8% SUCCESS RATE AND AN 82% EMPLOYMENT RATE OF OFFENDERS....WITH TIGHT BUDGETS, DWINDLING REVENUES AND BLEAK FORECASTS FOR THE NEXT YEAR, WHICH "SUCCESS" RATE IS COST EFFECTIVE TO YOU , A TAXPAYER????????? PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT THE PROBATION AND PAROLE DIVISION AND NOT THE "PRIVITIZATION" OF COMMUNITY SENTENCING...YOUR SAFETY IS AT STAKE....WE CONTINUE TO "DO OUR BEST" WITH LIMITED RESOURCES TO CARRY OUT THAT MISSION......WITH HELP, WE CAN EVEN DO BETTER.. |
 |