At $75,560, housing a prisoner in California now costs more than a year at Harvard

LA Times ^

[TigerClaws]

The cost of imprisoning each of California’s 130,000 inmates is expected to reach a record $75,560 in the next year

A guard watches prisoners being escorted across the yard at San Quentin State Prison. A guard watches prisoners being escorted across the yard at San Quentin State Prison. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) HOW MUCH? More than tuition at Harvard University

That’s enough to cover the annual cost of attending Harvard University and still have plenty left over for pizza and beer

Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes a record $11.4 billion for the corrections department while also predicting that there will be 11,500 fewer inmates in four years because voters in November approved earlier releases for many inmates.

[LostPassword]

Maybe we shouldn’t pay for TV, gyms, sex change operations and other “needs”.

How about giving them an outdoor cage, a bowl of slop every day, and opportunity to “work” and rent a nicer room/cell, buy food, TV, access to a gym, etc? We don’t want “work” to eliminate outside jobs. But I’d bet an entrepreneur can find something for him/herself to make money while the prisoner does something productive AND develops a work ethic.

And base the sentence on the amount of money they save doing their “job” rather than time in the cage. They get out when they’ve shown they are able to work and manage money.

Elon Musk made his fortune taking government money (though not directly). This seems like a perfect opportunity for someone like him.

[eyedigress]

Actually is sounds like taxpayer theft.

[Snickering Hound]

http://gawker.com/5797381/spoiled-california-prison-guards-have-it-easy

Instead of paying $100,000’s to go to college, California pays guards $3050 a month to attend their academy for 4 months.

When you graduate, your salary will between $45k-$65k, but make $100k+ with overtime.

Long generous vacations and health and pension plans that you couldn’t dream of.

[ladyjane]

I think we ought to house them in tents, make them work, make them wear pink underwear.

[HarleyLady27]

Okay, another ‘fake news’ story, they omitted the ‘Senate’ part...I hope and pray for your sake it doesn’t pass...

Stand up and fight!!!

We need not only to fight for President Trump, but we need to fight in our States, Counties, and cities!!!

Don’t be quite because ‘you won’t be liked’ we are not in a popularity contest, we are fighting to save OUR COUNTRY!!!

[muleskinner]

The blue districts are overwhelmingly blue - 66% to 33% as an average, so no chance. Some districts, like San Francisco and Oakland/Berkeley are close to 90% leftist, never gonna' happen. Lots of government workers with high salaries and great benefits- even for San Francisco- and lots of lower income who depend of generous benefits of California to continue in their productive lifestyle.

Then they retire at 75K/year min, depending on length of service.

So they are not going to vote against their self interest.

[socal_parrot]

Public employee unions will be the death of CA.

[SandRat]

House them all, like they did in the “Old Yuma, Arizona, Territorial Prison.”

[jjotto]

In federal prisons, a quarter to more than one-third of prisoners are foreign nationals, and they are overwhelmingly illegals. The Federal Bureau of Prisons publishes official stats.

I do not know of a source that tracks state prisons for foreign nationals, and California probably does not collect or release such data. It is almost certain to be the same or more than fed prison percentages.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Give them a backpack and make them WALK across the country along abandoned rail tracks. Chain them to the track. Give them an airhorn to scare away the bears and mountain lions. It will take 6-9 months.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Allow sheep to graze along the way.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Do you know my cousin Jeff Flier?

[Gay State Conservative]

Do you know my cousin Jeff Flier?

I knew a Steve Flier....IIRC he went into Nephrology.

[Feckless]

If the 75k doesn't get spent at Harvard there's one less Philosophy Major saying "Do you want fries with that?"

If you don't spend the 75k on prison you get more murder, rape, robberies, etc

[BuffaloJack]

It wouldn’t cost as much if you fed them Dog Kibble, and got rid of the magazines, books, TV, radio, internet and exercise equipment.
And ditch the air conditioning. If our service men in a war zone don’t get air conditioning neither should these criminals.

[WatchungEagle]

I’m sure there is massive waste in the CA correctional system. CA uses outdated 19th Century prisons full of blindspots that are dangerous for guards and inmates and they are horrifically over crowded. Somehow other states with new, modern, much safer prisons that are much less crowded manage to spend much less money than this.

[beethovenfan]

And the prisoner probably learns more.

[old gringo]

or holliday inn

[Organic Panic]

Prisons are big business.

[ml/nj]

Isn't government wonderful !

ML/NJ