Iowa’s prison population, rate of repeat offenders inch upward

DES MOINES - Iowa's prison population, crowding and the rate of repeat offenders all increased from the previous year, the most recent state data shows.

An Iowa Department of Corrections spokeswoman called the increases 'statistically insignificant,” although the figures increased despite efforts from lawmakers and state agencies to curtail them, and they come at a time when some of the same numbers nationally and in neighboring states are declining.

Iowa had 8,367 state prisoners at the end of the fiscal 2017 at the end of June, an increase of 160 prisoners - nearly a 2 percent jump - from the previous year, according to corrections department data.

It is the most state prisoners in six years and the third time in the past four years the number has increased.

The rate of repeat offenders also increased for a second consecutive year in fiscal 2016, the most current state data.

The rate of recidivism - the percent of offenders who were released from prison or work release and returned to prison within three years - has risen 4.4 points from fiscal 2014 to 2016 after declining the previous six years.

The increases are too small to warrant concern or assign cause, said Beth Skinner, recidivism reduction coordinator for the state's Corrections Department.

'If you look across all these numbers, they are relatively stable,” Skinner said.

But the numbers in Iowa are increasing, even slightly, while they are falling in other states and at the national level.

The country's state prison population decreased by almost 2 percent from 2014 to 2015, the most recent year federal Bureau of Justice statistics are available. According to the federal bureau, 29 states recorded a decrease in the total number of prisoners.

Iowa was not among them. The number of state prisoners in Iowa increased by 1.2 percent in fiscal 2015.

Similar to the national results, Iowa's neighbors in the Midwest have been seeing drops in prison population as well.

Illinois' prison population dropped more than 5 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to an Associated Press report that cited state corrections department figures. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has set the goal of reducing the state's prison population by 25 percent over the next decade.

Minnesota's adult prison population was flat from 2015 to 2016, although it had increased more than 6 percent since 2012, according to state corrections data.

Nebraska's prison population decreased by 1.8 percent from 2015 to 2016 after criminal justice reforms were implemented there, the Omaha World Herald reported.

In Iowa, increasing prison populations and repeat offenders could be contributing to another increase: The state prison system was at 115 percent of its capacity in fiscal 2017, an increase of 3 percentage points over the previous year and 6 percentage points over the previous three years.

Skinner said ideally the state prison system would not exceed 100 percent capacity.

'We definitely want to be under 100 percent, if we can,” Skinner said. 'That's something that we watch carefully every day.”

Danny Homan, president of the labor union that represents thousands of Iowa public employees, including prison guards and other correctional facility staff, has expressed concern with staffing levels at state prisons, which would be magnified by facilities that are over capacity.

'I am extremely concerned that the (prison) population and the clientele and the short staffing is going to end up having some serious consequences,” Homan said. 'This system is just overloaded - not only the state system but the county system and the city jails. Everybody. There's not a ‘no vacancy' sign, and I don't believe it's going to change any time soon. So, yeah, I'm extremely concerned.”

Iowa's prison population numbers are increasing despite efforts to reduce the trend.

Lawmakers in 2016 and 2017 passed legislation designed to reduce the state's prison population by giving judges more discretion in some sentencing, reducing some mandatory minimum sentences and creating opportunities for earlier parole in some cases.

And the state Corrections Department is working with a $3 million federal grant to reduce recidivism that it received in 2015.

Thus far, the data show those efforts are yet to bear fruit, although it may be too soon for the new legislation, in particular.

Still, some advocates remain concerned.

'Something's not working,” said Marty Ryan, who lobbies legislators on social justice and civil liberties issues and is involved with the Justice Reform Consortium, a collection of advocacy groups that pushes for criminal justice reform. The numbers 'should be going down if everything is working right.”

Skinner said she expects the department's work on recidivism, with the aid of the federal grant, will begin showing results soon.

'It does take time to implement practices statewide. I think the Iowa Department of Corrections is not only using the resources wisely, they are making sure they're using those resources in a very targeted way,” Skinner said. 'I think we're going to reap some rewards in terms of a lower recidivism number in the future.”

Skinner said the department tries to identify prisoners who appear to have the best chance to succeed upon release and produce programming that will prepare them for post-prison life.

'The goal is to see the number decline,” Skinner said. 'I think we're going to start seeing the fruits of our labor here soon and in the coming years.”

In response to questions about the increases in the state's prison population figures, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kim Reynolds said the Corrections Department works to improve outcomes for released offenders and create a safer society.

'There are many variables affecting prison statistics at different times of the year,” Reynolds spokeswoman Brenna Smith said in an email. 'We continue working with the DOC to ensure they have the tools they need to do their jobs well.”