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Former SCDC Director Says Inmates Need Hope of Early Release

"When people are at that point when they are willing to go out and kill and be killed, there's nothing that you or I, or any prison system in the country can do about it."

Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The former director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections is speaking out after deadly fights at Lee Correctional left seven inmates dead and 17 injured.

Jon Ozmint served as director of state prisons from 2003 to 2011, under Gov. Mark Sanford.

He says that in order for real change to happen, the prison system has to triple the budget it receives from the state.

"You're never going to be able to bring the resources and have the resources to every single medium and maximum security prison that you need to respond to a relatively large event," says Ozmint.

When it comes to Sunday night's events, he believes they were gang related.

"You're going to find that most of them stayed in their cells and even some the gang bangers stayed in their cells," says Ozmint. "The ones who were out were hardcore gang bangers who made the choice to go out there and kill or be killed. When people are at that point when they are willing to go out and kill and be killed, there's nothing that you or I or any prison system in the country can do about it."

Ozmint says currently there are rehabilitation programs available to inmates in Lee Correctional, including the "Jump Start" program, which sets people up with housing and employment once inmates are released. However, he says that inmates have to want to change in order to be in those programs.

"They made the choice after their life caught up to them that they were going to keep doing what they're doing," says Ozmint. "These guys aren't participating in programs, not necessarily because they aren't available, but because you couldn't melt a program down and pour it on them."

He says his main concern is with the current law that makes it mandatory for inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentences before they are eligible for parole.

"We have some responsibility because we as a society have said 'look we so hate these guys that we are going to expect them to operate independently of the laws of nature,'" he said. "For example instead of giving them hope, by giving them the possibility of parole if they behave themselves. I bet if you look all seven of them were serving no parole sentences."

Of the seven who were murdered in Sunday's fights, two of them Eddie Gaskins and Raymond Scott, were eligible for parole.

"If you take away hope and incentive for people, we really shouldn't be sitting here asking the question as to why these guys are behaving like men with no hope."

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