Frightening. Tragic. Inexcusable.

These words describe the escape of three dangerous convicts from a private prison near Kingman. The deaths of an Oklahoma couple, the sorrow of their family and the anxiety of countless others were the result of astonishing security lapses.

Here's another word: opportunity.

This is a chance for Arizona to look at the state's role and responsibility in punishing criminals.

It won't be easy. Questions about the future of corrections in Arizona require - dare we say it? - a rational examination. Not political. Not ideological. Rational.

Under Director Charles Ryan, the Arizona Department of Corrections has identified a host of security problems at the private prison from which killers escaped.

A report posted online shows a dizzying array of botched management. False alarms were so common that real ones were ignored. Prisoners went around without identification. Guards were inexperienced and not proficient with their weapons. The perimeter of the prison was so poorly controlled that an accomplice could throw wire cutters over the fence.

Management and Training Corp., which runs the prison, agreed to make changes. Ryan removed murderers from that prison and imposed new criteria for the kind of offenders sent there.

In addition, an administrative review is under way to see why the state's monitors did not provide adequate oversight. This will provide important information.

But there are more questions, and the answers will not come from the Department of Corrections.

As of July, about 19 percent of the state's prisoners were in private prisons, Ryan says. When 5,000 additional private-prison beds authorized by the Legislature are built, 22 percent to 24 percent of Arizona's prison beds will be private.

This is supposed to be a cost-effective option. Yet because the state maintains the highest-security prisoners and the sickest ones, it is difficult to make a direct cost comparison. After attempting to make the comparisons as fair as possible, it was found that it costs $3 to $8 more per day to house a medium-security inmate in a private prison, according to a DOC study released this year.

Factor in the safety concerns raised by the Kingman escape, and the costs go beyond dollars and cents.

This does not mean there is no role for private prisons in Arizona. But it does mean it is time to take a close look at the situation and ask some hard questions. We urge the governor to launch review by an unbiased and independent team. Arizona's universities would be a good place to look for experts on criminal justice and public policy who can present factual information and guide a reasoned discussion.

This is an opportunity to talk about the safest and most cost-effective way to handle prisoners.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/08/27/20100827fri1-27.html#ixzz0xrTdbQAk