By Frank Dow (A NH state prison inmate)
Concord Monitor
CONCORD, New Hampshire — The New Hampshire Department of Corrections controls four prisons that are crowded because of the high number of people who are re- incarcerated following technical parole violations. These people have served their minimum sentences and have been determined to be of such character they were permitted to re-enter society and rebuild their lives. However, because these parolees have not complied exactly with their parole agreement, they are sent back to prison for an extended period. This is costing taxpayers approximately $15 million per year.
Sending technical parolees back to prison and closing of the Lakes Region facility will exacerbate the crowding in the Concord and Berlin prisons. This is a big plot to force the Legislature to dish out $24 million to expand the Berlin prison to house even more technical parole violators. The $24 million wouldn’t be needed if the commissioner of corrections would ask the governor and Legislature to reinstate parole to those who are wrongfully re- incarcerated for a simple technical violation. As the commissioner had stated, they house about 500 parolees a year.