States may free inmates to save millions »
Posted By not2needy 1 year, 3 months ago in NewsLawmakers from California to Kentucky are trying to save money with a drastic and potentially dangerous budget-cutting proposal: releasing tens of thousands of convicts from prison, including drug addicts, thieves and even violent criminals.
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not2needy1 year, 3 months ago
FTA:
Officials acknowledge that the idea carries risks, but they say they have no choice because of huge budget gaps brought on by the slumping economy.
Isn't that just what every state needs right now, felons, thieves, car jackers, crazed druggies and pedophiles turned loose, with what could result in a reduced police force, also caused by the economy slump!!!!????
Just who would we have to thank for this good news?
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mntnman4441 year, 3 months ago
Why incarcerate people for marijuana in the first place if you're just going to finally admit that you can't afford to keep them?
Arnold was offered a solution last year that would have solved the Cal budget crisis but he chose to ignore it,now he wants to release violent criminals???
This is the 1 billion dollar offer ...
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_blog/2007/a...
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Jaydee401 year, 3 months ago
"Isn't that just what every state needs right now, felons, thieves, car jackers, crazed druggies and pedophiles turned loose"
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed saving $400 million by releasing more than 22,000 inmates who had less than 20 months remaining on their sentences. Violent and sex offenders would not be eligible"
Try reading the entire article, it said different places that violent offenders and sex offenders would not qualify.
I think in some cases this will work but in other cases it will simply lead to re offending as soon as they hit the streets and we all know who pays the price for that, each and every one of us. Makes you wonder if it wouldn't be better just to put an extra tax on us to help pay for prisons, it could be cheaper in the long run and save people a lot of trouble.
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walden31 year, 3 months ago
We have way too many people in jail. I think that I've read we have more people in jail then Russia and China. 1/3 of black men are involved in the penal system. It's wrong in a free country.
Jeesh, now every small town needs own their high tech anti-terrorist huge RV and SWAT team. The militarization of our police force is sucking the breath out of our country.
1. Legalize drugs. License their distribution. Tax them.
2. Get rid of mandatory sentencing.
3. Offer real occupational training and support for when inmates are released.
4. Don't imprison the those convicted of less serious crimes with serious felons where they become hardened to learn additional criminal ways.
5. Release the non-violent to make room for the violent.
6. Those that will never be released store them in basic, cheap warehouses/barracks so we can divert funds and resources to those that can be rehabilitated.
Unfortunately, due to politics, it's always about being tougher on crime.
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quackpot1 year, 3 months ago
One more for your excellent list, Walden:
A bit more thought in meting out penalties. With rare exception, jail time is the only option that is employed and length of jail time is the only variable of severity.
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slate1 year, 3 months ago
If the government were to decriminalize some of the 'less' harmful drugs, sell them on the free market and have them taxed. They would still be cheaper than they are now (which they would have to be for that to work or the Black market would still thrive). You'd have way fewer people in jail. The drugs would be cheaper, most likely safer than the ones on the street. People should be able to put into their bodies what they want, as long as they aren't harming others. The same restrictions they have on alcohol as far as driving, equipment use and such should apply.
If there were no money to be made on the black market with drugs, there would be less people killed for them, less gangs and less people in jail. It won't be perfect as with alcohol, but it would be a star. Then you set up programs to keep people off them like cigarettes and reduce the number of people on drugs as a whole.
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cleare1 year, 3 months ago
just one thing i'd like to add to walden's excellent resolutions: spend one third of the money saved from the prisons on our poorest public school systems, so the poor urban blacks and poor rural whites have opportunity to do something other than commit crime to earn a living and to develop activities of interest other than drugs (including alcohol).
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icono11 year, 3 months ago
I wonder if the elected politicians in those states mentioned would also consider a personal reduction in pay as a way to save money? Or would they, the politicians, release the prisoners then give themselves a pay raise for such a progressive money saving move on their part?
Then after the released criminals start doing crimes again the same 'save the tax payers money' politicians could jump on the anti-crime bandwagon 'again' and give themselves another pay raise for being tough on crime 'again'. I don't see this 'release the criminals to save money' as a money saving move. It's just a move that will enable career and ambitious politicians a way to secure their jobs and/or pay raises into the future by being anti crime then being anti waste then back to being anti crime,,, etc, etc, etc.
Would our politicians treat us that way? Sure they would, for there is big money for them, not us, in this move.
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cowboygrandpa1 year, 3 months ago
I say put all the rapist's, pedophiles, murderer's,and violent criminals on an Island. Surrounded by a fence with man eating sharks in the waters. Any craft seen leaving the Island can be destroyed by a laser system. A no fly zone would be in place.
Let them kill themselves if they please or learn to farm and build shelters and act like civilized men. No more funds spent on them. Lets put some of that money toward helping the victims of those crimes and their families.
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lvrofwolves1 year, 3 months ago
I would be very disapointed in the justice system if they released violent criminals and pedophiles. And what about illegal aliens?
I'm for WORK camps for violent prisoners to pay back society for their crimes and pay their own room and board. Why should society be victimized twice!
As far as drugs go, legalize some, tax them etc....that would solve alot of small petty possession drug cases.
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BronxBomber1 year, 3 months ago
My gosh! Can you imagine if they let out the real hard cases out in the street??? Watch the homicide rate grow, well actually some of us might not get to see that as we might wind up being the statistics ourselves God forbid!...
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jordan111 year, 3 months ago
I have no problem in freeing anyone in prison for smoking pot. It's insane to incarcerate them.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3539
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mntnman4441 year, 3 months ago
And now...let's pause for a brief message from Jim Hightower...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYkG5-RYMJ8
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mntnman4441 year, 3 months ago
Barney Frank is shortly going to introduce a bill in congress which he describes as "the Make Room for Serious Criminals Act".The bill will be introduced,Frank will be attacked by Republicans for being "soft on drugs" and the bill will die in committee because dems are cowards,same as always.And the prison costs will continue to rise.
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willottica1 year, 3 months ago
Hmm... seems the Iraq war isn't the only one running out of money, the War on Drugs is also costing too much. Time to admit defeat on that one as well? Or continue trying to fight it in the same tired way which obviously seems to be failing.
Question: when you fight a war on drugs, what are your weapons? What is the goal? How do you declare "Mission Accomplished"?
Advice to the President(s) of the United States: stop declaring wars that you can't possibly win (because there is no foreseeable victory condition -- How do you know you've won the War on Terror? How do you know you've won the War on Drugs?).
(Don't get me wrong, it's good to fight against Terrorism, but I don't think you can do that through war. I think you fight terrorism by helping less fortunate societies, not exploiting them, not occupying their lands and setting the scene for them to feel even more embittered.)
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mntnman4441 year, 3 months ago
When marijuana was first made illegal in 1937,the govt estimated that 50,000 people used all illegal drugs combined.Today the govt estimates that 15 million people use marijuana alone.I call that a TOTAL FAILURE!
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Lurch1 year, 3 months ago
At midyear 1998, an estimated 283,800 mentally ill offenders were incarcerated in the nation's prisons and jails.
http://www.aca.org/government/healthcare.asp#me...
How many would have never committed a crime and would be productive members of society if given decent treatment before committing a crime? For most, prison is the only place where they have ever received or will ever receive treatment. What is wrong with this picture?
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jordan111 year, 3 months ago
The mentally ill are throw away's. Reagan did that, and it stuck. Doesn't say much for the society that let him get away with it, and continue it to this day.
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HMMace1 year, 3 months ago
Want to save some real money ??
legalize drugs
let our farmers grow it here
fire all narcs
Frug stores sell the drugs
country makes money from taxes
from debit to profit.
Reminds me of prohibitrion
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Georgia501 year, 3 months ago
How dare they release these dangerous losers! I say keep them on Capitol Hill where they belong!
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