By: rew

rew — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:54:57 +0000

California was spending 11.2% of budget on corrections, even though national spending per state on corrections averages 7.2%, according to Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters. Clearly we can incarcerate cheaper, we need to get our state’s spending on prison’s in line with other states. Republicans always complaining about spending, here’s a place you can make cuts but they are balking. Republicans always claiming they believe in fisical conservatism and controlling spending but when it comes to prisons they don’t care how much it costs. Right now we are spending 50,000 per inmate, health care alone for inmates 2 billion a year, we are forced by law to give inmates a “health plan”, when 30% of the working poor have no health care whatsoever. It just ridiculous, we need to cut spending on prisons, every poll says that’s what public wants, but Republicans like Nielsen want to keep this prison-indisrial complex we have churning along even though state budget awash in red ink.

By: John W

John W — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:18:46 +0000

Conventional wisdom would say the state complies by releasing those convicted of the least violent, least predatory crimes, and those with little time remaining on their sentences. Another approach would be to release those in greatest need of expensiive medical care, with a bus ticket to Texas. Solves both prison over-population and high prison health care costs.

Comments on: Reactions to SCOTUS ruling on state prisons

By: rew

By: John W