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Cash-strapped states consider releasing prisoners early
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Some cash-strapped states looking to shed money from their hemorrhaging budgets are now considering releasing inmates from prison early, including convicted felons.
In Kentucky—which has a $1 billion shortfall—lawmakers, looking to save $30 million dollars over the next two years, agreed to release 1,800 inmates, including violent individuals convicted of rape and murder. Alabama and North Carolina will release elderly or terminally ill inmates, which will save taxpayers millions in health care costs. About 30 other states have similar release programs. To curb spending, other states are cutting back on rehabilitation programs or using monitoring devices to keep track of drunk drivers and sex offenders as an alternative to putting them behind bars.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the average annual cost per prisoner is $22,650. States spend on average almost three times as much per prisoner as per K-12 public school pupil. In New York, taxpayers spend $14,119 per student. Washington DC spends 12,979. Fairfax, Va., spends $12,461 and Alexandria, Va., spends $17,968. Nationally, the average cost to educate one child is about $10,000 per year.
A report by the Public Safety Performance Project of The Pew Charitable Trusts forecasts that by 2011, one in every 178 U.S. residents will live in prison, which could cost taxpayers as much as $27.5 billion over the next five years beyond what they currently spend on prisons.
I have always told people that until all of America's children receive a quality education; our jails will continue to be overcrowded. It is sad that our society spends more money putting criminals behind bars than filling our children with the knowledge needed to become productive citizens. Investing in our children early saves taxpayers money in the future. Here are some statistics from the Children's Defense Fund to back this up:
- The average annual per child cost of a mentoring program is $1,000.
- The cost of providing a year of employment training for unemployed youths is $2,492.
- The annual per child cost of a high quality after-school program is $2,700.
- The average cost of ensuring that a low-income family has affordable housing is $6,830.
- The average annual per child cost of Head Start is $7,028.
- The annual per child cost for a high quality comprehensive full-day, full-year early childhood education program is $13,000.
Unfortunately, with the economy continuing to go down south, some states are even making major cuts on education spending, which, in my opinion, could lead to an increase in the prison population in the future.
Releasing criminals from prison early sounds dangerous. It was difficult for former felons to find work during a thriving economy. Even law-abiding citizens, some with college degrees, can't find work. With a lot of low paying jobs being taken by individuals with a secondary education to pay the bills, adding former criminals to the unemployment mix will do more harm than good, unless these cash-strapped states are willing to spend money securing work and other rehabilitation programs for these former inmates.
For more info: about the Children's Defense Fund's report on the prison population and education. Learn more about DeShuna Spencer and her magazine, emPower.
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