North Dakota has begun consideration of new methods for reducing the demand for prison beds through expansion of non-incarceration programs such as drug courts, mental health care, electronic monitoring and local reentry.

Governor John Hoeven has incorporated the proposals in his budget message to the legislature.

The governor's budget plan for the 2007-09 biennium cycle calls for $600,000 in new funds for drug courts and $700,000 specifically for Meth treatment and $150,000 for juvenile drug offenders.

The recommendations for easing capacity pressures on prisons and jails emerged from the Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration that the legislature created in 2005.

The commission submitted recommendations both to the legislature and the governor, who based his budget message on the proposals.

North Dakota in 2005 was operating at 134 percent of capacity with a population of more than 1,200 males and about 150 females. Under current growth rates, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation projects the population will increase 63 percent to 2,200 over the next decade.

Global Positioning System monitoring alone would not alleviate the capacity problem, but combined with drug courts and sentencing reform would divert some nonviolent offenders to other types of supervision.

The department now uses electronic monitoring for sex offenders.

The proposals under consideration would extend authority for GPS monitoring to other types of offenders on parole or probation and to counties and cities for oversight of offenders that would otherwise be in jails.

The proposal calls for expansion of GPS authority that would cost North Dakota about $180,000 annually and be partially offset by fees charged to offenders. High-risk sexual offenders now pay a daily rate of $10 per day.

Electronic monitoring would be less expensive than holding inmates in prisons with per diem costs that of $83.55 for women and range from $46.41 to $68.07 for men.

A bill in the legislature, SB 2029, would establish rules for an electronic monitoring program.

Two house bills, HB 1036 and HB 1037, would reduce from a felony to a misdemeanor the offense of driving without liability insurance.

Other legislation would spring from the governor's budget message and from the commission recommendations.

The Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration also suggested:

* $300,000 for residential faithbased programs and use of electronic monitoring for offenders convicted of alcohol-related crimes.

* Reducing caseloads for addiction counselors, case managers for individuals with serious mental illnesses, and parole and probation officers to attempt to achieve industry caseload standards.

* Adequate funding for mental health and substance abuse programs including early screening.

* Studying effectiveness of substance abuse treatment programs.

* Encouraging state agencies and other entities to place additional emphasis on education and awareness of substance abuse issues.

* Strengthening family services programs.

* Encouraging programs that mentor children of prisoners.