O'Brien discusses prison reform, crime

As is often the case with politicians, Pennsylvania House speaker Dennis O'Brien has been accused of occasionally practicing contradictory politics.

His desire to keep criminals from going unpunished is unmistakable, as is his concern for the safety and well-being of Pa. residents. In addition to fighting crime, he is chairman of the Autism Caucus and has devoted much of his time to autism awareness.

But recently, he voted against an amendment that would require gun owners to report a lost or stolen gun. Some Pa. residents feel that O'Brien's vote was a sign of leniency towards violators of the state's gun laws, but O'Brien supporters say his vote was misinterpreted.

Yesterday, without delving into the details surrounding that controversy, O'Brien spoke during one of Dean Richard Gelles' Graduate Social Policy classes about his brand of politics and what he thinks would make Pennsylvania a better, safer place to live.

"We have prisoners who are staying at the county prisons for up to five years, mostly on drug offenses, and county facilities don't have residential drug treatment," said O'Brien about inmate overcrowding and recidivism.

O'Brien blames the prison cap, which says once a prison facility hits maximum capacity it cannot let anyone else in. This problem has some calling for the premature release of hundreds of inmates back onto the streets, but O'Brien doesn't think that would be in the best interest of the state or its residents.

"I think that is the most crucial issue that faces us today," he said. In reference to Pa. being the only state to allow inmates to stay in county prison facilities longer than one year, O'Brien responded, "We're so out of sync with what everyone else is doing."

O'Brien said he hopes the state follows through on its plans to build three additional facilities to house the approximately 80 percent of drug offenders and violent criminals who leave prison and then commit a crime similar to their original one, or worse.

"We have to build strategies and protocols which are evidence based," O'Brien said. "A lot of what I hope to see happen is really designed to address the gaps in the system."

Graduate student Lindsay Lawer gained some valuable insight into how state laws are made and what drives them to come into existence.

"I learned a lot about the nuances of policy making and policy assessment that only someone with his level of expertise can present," she said.

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