The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that Alabama had the second biggest increase in parolees in 2003, at 31 percent, exceeded only by North Dakota at 53 percent. And for the fiscal year 2004, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles reports that more than 4,110 prisoners have already been paroled.

Faced with dangerous overcrowding, federal and state court scrutiny and no money, Gov. Riley doubled the size of the parole board to get more people out of prison sooner. A special docket was set up for nonviolent offenders.
 
The biggest fear for citizens is that these thousands of newly freed prisoners will commit more crimes. But so far, only about 6 percent of the people released under the special docket have returned to prison because of new crimes or parole violations. That's a pretty good record, indicating that parole board members are being very careful about who they turn loose.

Officials also report that the number of prisoners on work release has dropped by about half, from about 3,400 at any one time to 1,600. The corrections department expects to lose $4.6 million in money paid back to the system by inmates who are working, but it says -- and we agree -- that it's a small price to pay to reduce overcrowding.

Expenses of housing too many prisoners far outweigh the loss of revenue from work release inmates, whose demonstrated productivity in the community makes them better candidates for parole.

As more inmates are released, however, state crime rates will need to be monitored. So will social services agencies that help newly released prisoners readjust; they may become overburdened.

In the long run, Alabama should rely more on alternative sentencing programs that keep nonviolent offenders out of the state's prisons. Programs such as drug rehabilitation and halfway houses can directly address the underlying problems that led to the commission of a crime, providing true rehabilitation at less cost than that of incarceration.