Parole would be banned in S.C. under House bill

A House committee has approved a bill to banish parole and create an alternative court called Middle Court for drug offenders.

Judges would decide who can go to Middle Court and possibly be sentenced to an intensive drug rehabilitation program instead of prison time. S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster estimates it would cost $4.2 million to put 50 people per circuit through the program compared to more than $36 million to send that same group of people to prison.

But opponents say the measure needs more work. For example, Rep. John Scott, D-Richland, said there is no compensation for Middle Court judges who are likely to have large case loads. The bill now heads to the House.

Comments

[wtf]

Of course the House makes no compesation or concerns over congestion. These are the same people who still think Malfunction Junction (I-20 @ I-26) is still doing just fine.

More hearings? Jees, you think that the House was made up of career lawyers who wanted another government teet to latch onto or something.

The question still remains, who is going to pay for the increased costs for housing those criminals who commit non-violent and non-drug related crimes but now have server the full term of their sentance.

The GREAT misconception is that parole is amnesty. It is not. Parole is a cost cutting business measure designed to help keep the high costs of housing prisoners down for the tax payers.

Like a piece of wood, the taxpayers are about to get royally screwed.

[Frances]

This bill will create another level of bureaucracy whereby more attorneys will be elevated to the level of judges. The cost to the taxpayers will be a salary of $92,000 plus $28,520 (31%) in benefits: insurance, vacation and sick days, retirement and pre-retirement death benefits. Then there's the cost of the paralegal, clerks, security, office and furniture, a car, mileage, office supplies, postage, public defender fees, sheriff deputy(ies) - all for attorney friends of the Attorney General to get jobs and for the AG to use to run for Governor in 2010. lol!

[CitizenPatrol]

This bill is premeditated rape of common sense, economics, and hope.

[Michael Ulrich]

Sounds like a fair, smart and cost effective idea.

[Mark LaSalle]

Yet another well-intentioned but stupid idea that will be a largely unfunded mandate!

How about insisting on ACCOUNTABILITY for parole board members by making their decisions visible to the public?

Filling prisons to overcapacity means more danger to prison staff, and eventual mandatory prisoner release en masse by court order to relieve overcrowding.