Kansas City, Mo — Violent felons serve more prison time in Missouri than in just about any other state in the nation, according to a recent study.
Violent criminals in Missouri served an average of seven years far above the national average of 4.4 years for state prison sentences.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics study also found that violent felons in Missouri on average served 86 percent of their sentences. That was the highest percentage of any state studied and 30 percent above the national average.
The study examined parole patterns for criminals released in 1999.
Tim Kniest, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said he was not surprised by the findings.
"People do a lot of time in Missouri," he said, "and we continue to hold them accountable on parole."
The study found that almost 60 percent of all Missouri prisoners released in 1999 returned to prison for parole violations or other crimes.
Missouri's tough approach has consequences.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that the number of Missouri prisoners increased 4.5 percent in 2000. The national average increase in state prison populations that year was less than 1 percent.
The Missouri prison population is about 28,600 and is increasing on average by 3.3 prisoners a day, Kniest said.
About 45 percent of the state's prisoners are violent offenders.
The state has built a new prison for 2,684 inmates in Bonne Terre but so far has been unable to find more than $42 million to open and run it.
Kniest said the new prison was not the ultimate solution.
"Even after we open it," he said, "we'll run out of bed space by October of 2004."
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.