Back in October, we advocated that the General Assembly seriously consider cutting back Illinois’ bloated prison system as a way to ease the state’s budget deficit. Since then, the fiscal figures have only gotten worse. And new research from the Pew Center on the States validates our original argument: legislators looking to curb wasteful spending must review and reform the criminal justice system.

According to Pew, Illinois spent a whopping $1.36 billion dollars on corrections in the fiscal year 2008 (PDF), slightly higher than the $1.125 FY 2007 budget and 6.1 percent of the state’s total general fund. Cost has risen with demand -- one in 38 adults (2.6 percent) is under correctional control now, up from one in 83 (1.2 percent) in 1982. As Malcolm Young told us last fall, thanks to the state’s ill-conceived sentencing laws and practices, the vast majority of those in the system are individuals convicted of drug possession and former inmates who violate their “conditional release.” By and large, these are not dangerous, hardened criminals.

Other states are thinking of experimenting with this type of reform as well. According to Stateline, governors Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and Wisconsin have sought to save millions of dollars by shortening the time some prisoners spend behind bars. With education and health care funding on the line, it’s time Illinois does the same.

Image courtesy of The Chicago Reporter (PDF).