1905S.01T
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12
WHEREAS, a recent report of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, reported there are more than 1.4 million prisoners in the jurisdiction of federal or state adult correctional agencies, and the overall population of those incarcerated exceeds 2.07 million persons; and
WHEREAS, state prisons are operating between full and 15 percent above capacity and federal prisons are operating 31 percent above capacity; and
WHEREAS, in the wake of September 11, states have been charged with homeland safety and are required to more stringently track prisoners and prison populations; and
WHEREAS, while state growth in revenue continues to decline, the Missouri Department of Corrections continues to experience increasing demands through federal and state laws, sentencing guidelines, and recidivism, and is thus facing an increasing prison population; and
WHEREAS, it is in the state's best interest to encourage offender education, vocation, and substance abuse programs, and to include adult basic education/GED preparation, religious programs, wellness, parenting, and life skills programs; and
WHEREAS, both the federal and state government should continue to set forth high standards of service and levels of quality for housing detainees similar to those found in the American Correctional Association (ACA); and
WHEREAS, President George W. Bush, in August, 2002, proposed a federal initiative to institute more e-government, improve financial management with better audit results, initiate performance-based budgeting, reduce middle management, and increase competitive bidding between public and private sections; and
WHEREAS, the state of Missouri through its elected Senators and Representatives is seeking all available remedies to its declining revenues, but demands accountability, performance, low cost, and flexibility in its solutions:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-second General Assembly, First Regular Session, the House of Representatives concurring therein, hereby urge the Governor and the Missouri Department of Corrections to explore the opportunities for public-private partnerships to design, build and/or manage prison facilities, and to monitor inmate populations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Missouri Senate be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the Governor of Missouri and the Director of the Missouri Department of Corrections.