By Lewis Delavan
Stephens Media
LITTLE ROCK — Significantly increasing state reimbursements to counties for holding state prisoners is unlikely in the current economic climate, but an incremental increase could be possible, a state legislator said today.
Rep. Allen Kerr, R-Little Rock, said he would have to confer with state revenue officers and others about possible funding sources before determining the size of increase he would seek.
The issue could be brought up during the 2010 fiscal session in February, although given the revenue outlook — the state recently cut $100 million from its current budget — one would have to be “very optimistic” that funding would be available then, Kerr said.
However, legislation could encourage counties by letting them know long-term relief is coming, he said.
For a decade, the state has paid counties $28 daily for housing state convicts awaiting space in state lockup. Kerr failed in an effort to raise the reimbursement to $40 in this year’s legislative session, even after lowering the hike to $34.
He said today that in an economic downturn, incremental hikes could be better than no increase.
Kerr met with state and county officials Tuesday in an ongoing effort to find ways to raise state reimbursements to counties and generally ease overcrowding in state prisons. Expanded use of drug courts and probation were among the options officials cited to alleviate the problem.
Earlier this month, Gov. Mike Beebe met with prison, law enforcement and court officials and said he wants them to pursue alternatives to incarceration for some offenders.
Asked today what alternatives he has in mind, Beebe said, “Nonviolent criminals, particularly youngsters, particularly some of the folks that are arrested for drug-related crimes, I think freeing some of those beds up … whether it’s in community corrections, whether it’s in work programs, whether it’s making them work for the taxpayers, for the cities and the counties at some portion of their time … I think are options that we have to look at.”
Beebe said he is not seeking any proposals for the 2010 fiscal session.
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Reporter John Lyon contributed to this report.
