The View of US Corrections From London
One of Britain’s major newspapers, The Guardian, has published a view of US corrections during the economic crisis.
From California to Connecticut, states are under mounting pressure to bring corrections spending in line with the reality of gaping budget shortfalls. Legislators in some states are slashing prisoner rehabilitation programmes, releasing inmates early or packing them more tightly into crowded facilities to save money. Others are using technology, such as satellite tracking, to monitor sex offenders, drunken drivers and other criminals instead of keeping them behind bars. To avoid building new prisons, many states ship inmates to private facilities that often are thousands of miles away. Other states are exploring long-term strategies aimed at preventing recidivism, a leading factor behind overcrowded prisons and jails – and rising costs …
“We’re at a crossroads. I think there is an acknowledgment that if we continue the status quo, we’re going to continue to have a prison population that increases to untenable levels,” said Ryan S King, a policy analyst with The Sentencing Project, which lobbies for changes in sentencing laws as a way to reduce incarceration rates …
Nationally, corrections trails only healthcare, education and transportation in consuming state dollars. Prison spending increased 127% from 1987 to 2007, and at least five states – Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Oregon and Vermont – now spend as much or more on corrections as they do on higher education, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers and the Public Safety Performance Project … Criminal justice reform – for years a controversial issue for legislators wary of being labelled “soft on crime” – is finding new proponents as public officials seek ways to save money. But a single strategy to tackle incarceration costs has yet to emerge, and some critics say state policymakers are dragging their feet and avoiding comprehensive changes that have become necessary … “We’re talking about huge, huge issues, and they’re all the way back at the starting line, quibbling about the rules of the race,” [said Ryan King].
An interesting view from outside.
Corrections History, Early Release, Economic Issues, Juvenile Justice, Overcrowding