Prisons defend cost vs. security

David Kihara

Friday, Dec. 30, 2005 | 7:24 a.m.

Each year dozens of inmates walk away from their prison terms -- before they're supposed to.

Over the last five years, 143 inmates have escaped from the state's low-security work camps. Another just recently walked away from the state's newly opened Casa Grande facility in Las Vegas.

The issue, prison officials say, is one of cost versus security.

The low-security facilities, known as conservation camps, save the state hundreds of thousands each year in prison costs, and the inmates who are housed at them work a variety of jobs -- from fighting fires to picking up trash alongside highways -- that benefit the state.

It costs about half as much to house an inmate at a conservation camp than at a minimum security prison. It costs about $6,200 a year, or $17 a day, to keep an inmate at a conservation camp. The state spends more than $11,680 a year, or about $32 a day, to house minimum-security inmates, said Howard Skolnik, state Corrections Department spokesman.

But, prison officials concede, it's almost impossible to stop inmates from escaping the camps, which often have little more than a fence without razor wire surrounding them.

"The reality is that an inmate can get out if they so desire, but what keeps them there is the possibility of sanctions," Skolnik said.

There have been no reports of inmates who walked away from the camps committing more serious crimes once off the prison grounds. Of the 144 who have escaped in the last five years, 133 have been caught.

Glen Whorton, Corrections Department director, said that with inmates being housed in low-security facilities or working in the community, "walk-aways are almost inevitable."

"Our goal is to minimize the number of walk-aways and to make sure the individuals at the camps are not going to represent a physical threat to someone in the community," he said.

The state has a little more than 11,500 inmates in the prison system, and 1,700 of those are housed at 10 conservation camps around the state.

The Corrections Department only allows certain inmates into the camps: those without violent incidents on their record for the previous 12 months and who are facing probable release in 36 months, Whorton said.

Prison officials also weed out the inmates who are violent, sex offenders or those most likely to reoffend.

Most recently, an inmate serving time at the newly opened Casa Grande Transition Center in Las Vegas walked away from the facility on Tuesday night. The inmate, Timothy Baragia, was serving two concurrent sentences for attempted theft and possession of a stolen vehicle.

The low-security Casa Grande, where Baragia was serving the remaining time of his sentence, is for inmates with 120 days or less on their sentence and allows inmates to work in the community. Baragia had a little more than two weeks left on his sentence when he walked away from the facility. Baragia was caught less than 24 hours later.

What keeps most of the inmates at the work camps are the deterrents, officials say. Those include the possibility of an additional six-year sentence if they escape from a work camp. Once returned to the prison system, the inmate also won't be eligible for the work camps again and can't get some of the choice jobs within the prison where they will have more freedom, such as maintenance positions.

Whether additional stiff sentences prevent inmates from walking away from the camps is another matter, critics say.

"The problem with criminals is that they don't necessarily respond to deterrent measures," said Brett Kandt, executive director of the Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys, the state agency that provides training and education to the state's prosecutors and law enforcement.

Kandt did not immediately dismiss the additional prison time as ineffective, but he said it "depends on the individual" inmate whether that person is willing to take the risk and leave a camp.

He was concerned, however, that all prisoners serve their entire sentence.

"Any law-abiding citizen expects someone who is tried, convicted and sentenced to serve their time. Violent individuals need to be kept out of society," he said. But prison officials say conservation camp inmates are generally not a threat to the public.

"No one who goes to prison is entirely without some risk. But should they walk away, they are unlikely to do any harm or damage. And, frankly, almost all of them are caught within a fairly short period of time," Skolnik said.

The two most recent walk-aways, that of Baragia and another inmate who left Tonopah Conservation Camp earlier this month, were caught in less than 24 hours. That said, Skolnik added that their presence in the community should not be minimized.

"They are considered escaped inmates, and the public shouldn4t invite them in for dinner," he said. David Kihara can be reached at 259-2330 or at davidk@lasvegassun.com.