Prison Overcrowding Attacked

PHILADELPHIA - "Lock up the bad guys and throw away the key"-- that's the pledge lots of folks want to hear from their elected leaders. But that mindset has landed Philadelphia in a costly jam these days.

Fox 29’s Bruce Gordon has the story of what happens when prisons can't keep up with police and prosecutors.

Like any county jail system, Philadelphia’s prisons are filled mostly with men and women arrested, charged and awaiting trial.

The problem: The system is bulging at the seams, and if overcrowding gets worse, every taxpayer will feel the pain.

Philadelphia’s prison system was built to house 6400 inmates in a clean, safe, humane environment.

These days, the inmate census averages nearly 9600. The city spends extra money each year, shipping overflow inmates to other facilities on top of money spent defending itself in a federal lawsuit over crowded conditions.

At a city council budget hearing, Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla said inmate numbers are sure to rise even further.

"While the aforementioned forecast of a prison population of 10,000 may be anticipated, it will by no means be considered acceptable,” says Giorla.

That's because the prison system will need another $3.8 million dollars this year, if new inmates force the city to use outside facilities.

Building new prisons could alleviate overcrowding, but no one wants criminals housed in their neighborhood.

Councilwoman Joan Krajewski reacted to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison on the possibility that new inmates could be added to the 215 already housed at the old Holmesburg prison.

Krajewski: "...and I also told you Mr. Gillison, that the neighborhood and the residents would certainly not support that."
Gillison: "I said I would come back and we'll talk."
Krajewski: "You better get ready for a fight."

Police are the obvious "face" on the criminal justice sytem.

But aggressive law enforcement means more men and women locked up - with no good place to put them.

Bruce Gordon: "When you see those numbers, those prison capacity numbers and prison population numbers, what does that say to you?"
Councilman Darrell Clarke: "It says to me that the system is broken. Pretty much all aspects of it."

Fixing that system is on everyone's mind.

But changing sentencing policies, creating safe and effective alternatives to jail cells - that's not a quick fix.

In the meantime, the inmate population continues to grow and tax dollars are spent on temporary housing and on defending lawsuits.