We learned this week on the “down low” that Congress – as part of its budget discussions – is considering gutting the grant program for college programs in prisons. All the data agrees – a college degree is the most significant preventer of an inmate not re-offending on release. Knowing that, it makes perfect sense to gut the program. After all, leave guys locked up without access to education or vocational training. They deserve it for their misdeeds. I’m sure they’ll come out ready to work hard and be good productive citizens!
As a recent editorial in the Newport News Daily Press succinctly put it, Virginia is on the wrong path: “wait them out” is a centerpiece of Virginia’s strategy for reducing recidivism and getting criminals to change their ways…there’s not much systematic work before inmates are released to address the factors that contribute to their criminal ways or are obstacles to cleaning up their acts…the majority of inmates lack high school diplomas or job skills, but programs to fill these deficits are very limited.
This year’s Virginia budget includes over $1 billion for DOC. That works out to $25,000 per inmate for housing. That also doesn’t include the $1 billion spent the past two decades to build new prisons.
Politicians will tell you abolishing parole has worked. “The Commonwealth is safer” they’ll tell you. Don’t believe it. States with aggressive early release programs have seen their crime rates decrease exponentially more than states with a “lock em up” approach.
As a recent study concerning Louisiana’s abysmal prison system concluded, “Too often offenders leave prisons as more hardened criminals than when they entered. Louisiana comingles nonviolent offenders, at whom we are simply upset, with violent offenders we are afraid of. Nonviolent offenders can often be treated and supervised in the community…alternative sentencing – including electronic monitoring, day reporting and work restitution programs – can more cost effectively hold many nonviolent offenders accountable and reduce recidivism.”
Makes a good deal of sense. Unfortunately, politicians would prefer to spend dollars than use sense. Virginia is at a crossroads. It can decide to aggressively pursue rehabilitation, re-entry training and education and early release, or it can keep running the same old failing prison model. The choice is there; the choice is obvious. It’s a billion dollar question and it’s time for the Governors answer.
The Governor pledged to make re-entry a priority. It’s his call: money for college, GED’s and vocational training and early release or another couple of billion.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
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$25000 to house a criminal.
ReplyDelete$25000 + $3000 = $28000 to house and educate a criminal.
Unemployment rate 7-10% of non criminals.
Add educated criminals to unemployment line and unemployment rate goes up.
Ex-con gets frustrated because they can't find or hold a job....still want what they want...will do most anything (even criminal) to get what they want (or maybe they will only do it for what they "NEED"). They have previous history of no self control (that is why they were in prison).
Someone is victimized.....someone goes back to prison.
US tax payer can choose to be out of $25000 first go around with hope criminal will have hated it bad enough to choose to never return to criminal activity.
US tax payer can choose to be out $28000 and criminal hated it enough to never return to criminal activity.
US tax payer can choose to be out $28000, increase the unemployment rate, increase his taxes, invest money in a highly volatile, historically criminal risk and add to the list of victims in the US.
Long term low risk investing is statistically more likely to do better for the masses than the a high risk investment product who's few winners are used in advertising to sell more of "it" than the many who lost more than they had.
I pick $25000, and will give the $3000 to charity for the handicap, because they didn't have a choice.
Alaska says hello.
who ever posted this last comment is an idiot, its people like you and your obvious lack of the ability to process information that keeps the ricidivism rate going, people like you dont vote for treatment programs or college programs for inmates, so they can do better and learn critical thinking skills which you could use a few of those too, what we are doing is NOT working cant you see? wow...
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