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Monday, November 24, 1997

Victims say mediation, not construction, helps prisoners

By CHRISTY LEMIRE Associated Press Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Construction isn't the solution to the problem of Texas' crowded prisons, says Vernon resident Robert Kimbrew.

Kimbrew knows a little something about state prisons. That's where he confronted the man who suffocated his only daughter.

The 55-year-old Kimbrew, a soft-spoken seed distributor, talked with his daughter's killer for 5-1/2 hours last November through the state's Victim/Offender Mediation Program.

He urged members of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice at their Friday meeting in Arlington to spend more money on the mediation program and less on erecting giant slabs of concrete.

"There's got to be more to it than just housing 'em," Kimbrew said, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his dark blue Wrangler jeans. "You just get 'em in and get 'em out."

But with the state's 145,000-bed prison system expected to overflow in two months, building prisons is exactly what the department is doing.

Board members Friday approved construction of two high-security prisons - one in Amarillo and the other in the East Texas town of Woodville. They approved bid requests for two others in Wichita Falls and Lamesa and gave the green light for design plans on a fifth facility in Karnes County.

The reason: Texas has almost tripled its prison capacity since 1992, sprouting from 48,000 to 145,000 at a cost of $1.5 billion.

The bed shortage is the result of parole rates dropping from 85 percent to 15 percent during the past three years, combined with more parolees being sent back to prison for parole violations.

Board chairman Allan Polunsky predicted the construction trend would continue for the next three or four years.

"There's absolutely no question we're about ready to get into a crunch once again," Polunsky told a packed ballroom at the Arlington Hilton.

In the meantime, the state is making plans to contract with counties for jail space. Lesser-security dormitories with about 107 beds each also will be added onto 19 existing prison sites. The first of those beds should be ready in 10 to 12 months.

At the same meeting, victims of violent crimes made emotional presentations to the board about their experiences with the Victim/Offender Mediation Program.

Coordinator David Doerfler showed a video of Kimbrew's tense encounter with Ferien Edward Wardrip, who suffocated his 21-year-old daughter Tina with a pillow after a three-day drug binge in May 1986.

Wardrip is scheduled for release Dec. 10. But Kimbrew said he feels no anger or fear, having spoken with the killer.

"It's such a relief to be able to tell him how you feel. It's such a healing, you can't describe it," Kimbrew said. "Lord, I hope none of you have to go through it. I know in my heart he'll be a better person when he comes out because of this meeting."

Doerfler began organizing mediation sessions between victims and offenders in March 1995. Since then, 10 dialogues have taken place, but the waiting list is 250 people long.

Each session requires months of preparation, with both parties undergoing counseling beforehand. Both sides must agree to the meeting and either can pull out at any time.

The program runs on an $80,000 annual budget, but Doerfler hopes to secure $240,000 in grants to expand the program and train more mediators.

Polunsky said the board supports the mediation program, but he's not sure if it could help reduce prison population numbers.

"I think certain people, it might help, but I don't expect the numbers to be significant," Polunsky said.

"It's been helpful in terms of the victim's situation. It brings some peace and closure to their tragedies."

Sabrina Ehrenreich agrees. The Houston woman's 72-year-old grandmother was raped, stabbed, choked with wire and left for dead in March 1987.

Through the state's mediation program, Ehrenreich, 27, confronted her grandmother's killer, Daniel Corwin, who's scheduled for execution Jan. 27. She described to board members the rage and hate that filled her before meeting with Corwin.

"I have observed him and I have questioned him. Maybe he cares about what he did and maybe he doesn't," the tall blonde said through tears. "I am finally at peace with the killing and the killer."Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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