Posted on 01/10/2009 4:52:26 PM PST by metmom
NEW YORK — Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision.
Collectively, the pending and proposed initiatives could add up to one of biggest shifts ever in corrections policy, putting into place cost-saving reforms that have struggled to win political support in the tough-on-crime climate of recent decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Why not just make tent prisons in the desert? I’m sure they are cheaper.
It’s another fine example of government being unable to what it’s supposed to do because it’s too busy doing things it’s not supposed to do.
They need to be selective but do people in jail for non violent crimes belong there to begin with?
I would have less problem with this if we made sure to house these offenders next door to these self-same governors, legislators and prison officials.
Well they won’t save any money except their own.The average criminal costs about 5 times more to society on the street vs locked up in prison.
This was inevitable. The explosion we saw in prison populations since the eighties was unsustainable. It couldn’t continue. They’ll let a few thousand out, and we’ll still have several times as many locked up as we ever did at any point before 1979 or so, whether you look at total prison populations or the per capita number of people we have in prison. What we saw happen since then was entirely unprecedented, a radical departure from anything we had done before. It did help reduce crime, but it was also incredibly expensive, and we were putting so many people in prison I can’t help but think we’ve put a lot in that aren’t such a threat to us that we really need to lock them up. I bet we can achieve the same good results while locking fewer people up if we are smart about how we use our limited prison space.
I agree...I know for a fact that Georgia locked up kids for pot violations...small amounts and they were not violent.
And that's all it is: blackmail. There's no reason at all why the money can't be cut somewhere else.
They should be scouring the county jails as well for illegals and pot-heads. Most states pay the counties to lock up people. Clear out the county jails of these buffoons and leave the violent career criminals and theives in the jails. Screw rehab. Unless someone wants to quit, they aren't going to. Most of them, in my limited experience, have no interest in quitting.
Ah, a great new batch of Dem Voters to put back on the rolls
I agree with the tent cities idea. It is totally acceptable according to international human rights standards, to use military style field conditions. It costs a fraction of brick prisons. It eliminates overcrowding. And ironically, it is a *reward* for better prisoners, *not* a punishment.
Prisoners who are troublesome stay in the brick prisons, but at much lower occupancy. The same with unhealthy prisoners, and those who have to appear in court frequently, or who need to be there for humanitarian reasons.
But much of the prison population goes out to the countryside. There they live with less noise, get fresh air and sunshine, and in some cases can do productive labor, like grow fresh vegetables to augment their food.
Much like with Indian casinos, States could make contracts with Indian tribes for prisoners to perform much needed improvements on Indian lands, such as environmental reclamation and infrastructure improvements. And in the process, some of the prison trustees can learn useful trades.
That should solve the overcrowding problem.
Yes, if it's identity theft, habitual drunk driving, or property thefts. The pot-heads are more of a hazard to themselves. Also, stop returning people to jail for parole violations for failing UA's. Cut them lose and leave them be until they commit a new violent crime. Stop wasting resources on irresponsible people with no self control. Put away the truly violent.
States are spending too much money on universal healthcare schemes, global warming & "green jobs" baloney, in-state tuition for illegal aliens and they wonder why they're going broke.
I've concluded that there are too many stupid and apathetic people in this country, which is why I'm currently working on living and retiring overseas.
Well, gee, I just thot that one of the main reasons for government was to KEEP THE PEACE. What exactly IS it that they do? Besides schmoozing and driving limos and getting paid off by lobbyists?
You are 100% on target. Glad to read a post by someone that has done a little homework on our prisons
So, do the freed jailbirds even have a chance of getting a job in this economy? If not, who takes care of them? Do they get welfare?
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