LETTERS: CRIMINALS MUST BE ELATED ABOUT THE PROSPECT FOR HANCOCK II

To the editor:

Inmates currently housed in Missouri's penal system, offenders convicted and awaiting sentencing and those engaged in criminal activity but as yet not apprehended must be elated about the prospects for passage of Amendment 7 (commonly called Hancock II).

If Missouri voters approve Amendment 7, the net effect will be to slash $1.024 billion from the state's budget for fiscal year 1996. Nowhere will this loss of state revenue be felt more severely than in Missouri's Corrections Department. With Amendment 7, the Corrections Department will see its share of state funding reduced by 33 percent, or $55.42 million in the first year after passage.

It's ironic that such a reduction should occur at a time when most Missouri citizens want stiffer enforcement of criminal laws and longer prison sentences for offenders. However, Amendment 7 will likely result in just the opposite. Federal and state courts have placed stringent restrictions on the number of inmates a prison facility can hold. These restrictions will not be removed simply because the state's prison system has less revenue. A 33 percent reduction in the dollars available to Missouri's Corrections Department will certainly translate into an enormous reduction in the state's capacity to house prisoners and thereby shorten prison sentences due to this resulting lack of capacity.

Last month, President Clinton signed into law the much-debated federal crime bill. This legislation earmarks large amounts of federal dollars for the hiring of police officers and for the construction of new prisons. However, it is important to understand that Missouri's ability to tap into these federal dollars is contingent upon the state's ability to come up with matching funds. It is reasonable to assume that with the revenue limits imposed by Amendment 7 Missouri will not have the finances necessary for such a match. In that case, Missourians will see their share of federal crime-fighting dollars go to other states.

Unless Missouri voters reject the false promises of Amendment 7, Christmas will arrive a bit early this year for Missouri's criminal element.

RON GREENLEE

Sikeston