Tennessee's Chaotic Prisons

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Overcrowding worsened following Alexander's election in 1978 after he persuaded the legislature to impose mandatory prison sentences without parole for such crimes as murder, aggravated rape, armed robbery and arson; about 75 such "Class X" inmates are now in state and county jails. By 1982 conditions had grown so bad that U.S. Judge L. Clure Morton declared the entire system unconstitutional because of overcrowding and poor recreational and health facilities. Alexander has proposed that Tennessee contract the privately run Corrections Corporation of America to build and operate two 500-bed prisons, a suggestion that has been shelved by skeptical legislators. Before recessing last week, however, the legislature made some progress on an omnibus reform bill that would help depopulate the state's prisons of less dangerous criminals. One tactic: parole hearings would be scheduled for convicts who had served 95% of the time needed for eligibility. The necessary qualifying time for parole would continue to be lowered until the federally mandated limit of 7,019 prisoners was reached. Some progress has already been made. As of last week the inmate population was down to 7,231, a decline of more than 500 since October. But no one expects a quick fix to the festering problems of Tennessee's prisons.