New York state prisons are full

No one puts people in prison for profitable reasons ["Getting a grip on spending," Editorial, Feb. 3]. Citizens who violate the law are removed from society so that society can prosper without fear. Don't fall for that very sophomoric and foolish statement about keeping prisons open strictly for economic reasons.

New York State prisons are over capacity and understaffed. Gimmickry, deception and double-bunking are how the prisons are actually being operated to make them appear underutilized.

The inmate population data in the state budget inadvertently makes the very point that correction officers have been making. In 1999, the inmate population was at a high of 130 percent of capacity. Yes, it has dropped by 30 percentage points, leaving us at the current 100 percent capacity. During the same period, some 1,215 correction officer positions were cut. Taking half the inmates from facility one and forcing them onto top bunks at facility two does indeed give the appearance that facility one is underutilized, but the system still has the same amount of inmates. It's all smoke and mirrors.

What the public is not aware of is that this is a recipe for disaster. With gangs, murderers and a more violent inmate population, the last place to play a numbers shell game is a prison. Unfortunately, this game is being played by those that have never worn the uniform.

Vincent Blasio

Lake View

Editor's note: The writer is a state correction officer.