In a recent audit of the state's prison system conducted by an independent agency, investigators pointed to some ominous signs that prisoners are about to reap what the Legislature has sown.

Conducted by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, an arm of the state Legislature, the review reported a startling jump in inmate-on-inmate violence, which is up 39 percent from the year before. Inmate-on-guard violence has increased 7 percent.

The report puts the blame on a variety of causes, most of which are of the Legislature's making. New limits on gain time -- time taken off an inmate's sentence for good behavior -- coupled with longer prison sentences and a lack of training programs, work opportunities and recreational and therapeutic diversions have led to an increasingly tense and violent atmosphere inside prison walls. This stressful work environment may also explain another problem highlighted by the report: the prison system's difficulty in hiring and retaining trained staff.

In a letter to auditors, Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Moore responded defensively, touting his accomplishment of centralizing prison operations, streamlining administration and saving the state millions of dollars.

But Moore's responsibility stretches beyond the bottom line. He has a primary duty to protect the men and women in his care -- both prisoners and employees. If safety in his institutions is being compromised due to insufficiently funded services or irresponsible laws, Moore has an obligation to make that case and advocate changes.

Inmate management in institutions typically housing 1,000 inmates and only 40 corrections officials relies on prisoners' voluntary behavior. Good behavior is most effectively controlled through the granting of gain time and by keeping prisoners from being idle.

But due to laws passed in the 1990s, prisoners are required to serve 85 percent of their sentences. That affords little gain-time opportunity. Meanwhile, laws such as 10-20-Life and Three Strikes have lengthened sentences. The report also identified a serious shortfall in the number of work and program assignments available to keep inmates occupied during the day -- a problem the Legislature could solve with increased funding.

The opportunity for recreation -- sports, television, weightlifting -- also helps keep prisoners in line. But the vindictive Legislature, seeking to make prison life as punishing as possible, has cut off funding for all recreational equipment -- removing one more carrot from the corrections management arsenal.

The increasing incidence of violence behind bars is a symptom of a serious problem with prison management. The choice is simple: Either the state will pay up front by providing employment, training, treatment therapies and other day and evening activities for all prisoners, or it will pay later through lawsuits brought by inmates and guards who were hurt or killed.

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