One proposal in Gov. Mark Sanford's executive budget has raised some concerns about identity theft, one of the fastest-growing crimes in the nation.

The governor has proposed having inmates take over some duties now being performed by S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles employees. The inmates would enter statistical data from traffic-collision reports filled out by law-enforcement officers after a crash.

Sanford spokesman Will Folks has said the governor would drop the proposal if there were any chance inmates could glean personal information from traffic collision reports.

The types of personal data on the reports would include a driver's name, date of birth, sex, race, home address, phone numbers, driver's license number and insurance information, the state Department of Public Safety says.

It's essential that this plan be pitched immediately if there is any chance that the privacy of the state's licensed drivers could be in jeopardy.

Finding work that inmates can do that would save the state taxpayers is a wonderful idea. Not only could it help pay for what it costs the state to care for the inmates, but the inmates themselves could benefit from work training.

But it is likely that many S.C. drivers will be very uncomfortable with inmates, even the most trustworthy ones, having access to private information about them.

Identify theft can be a nightmare for the victim - an extremely expensive one, at that. The savings under this proposal - estimated at $113,079 per year - could easily be wiped out by a case or two of stolen identity.