Damn...it's happening sooner than I expected. Oh well...I'm not going
to say I told you so but I will say...Good Luck. This is only the
beginning. Thanks to the miserable failure of government schools and
our soaring dropout rate, soon gang member****ps will explode.
So for all the greedy slobs who have run the country down to fatten
their own wallets and bank accounts, let's do the right thing. Let's
outsource more high paying jobs. Why pay engineers, accountants, IT
workers, medical professionals, etc...the big bucks in this country
when you get get them for a song in the far east or to the south of
our border...we need to get our tax base even lower!! Hell yea!!! We
can't have America's working and middle cl***** earn a living wage so
they can be more self reliant and pay their own fair share of the
taxes. Nah...that is downright silly!!
In the meantime, if an early released murderer happens to invade your
home, rapes and kills your wife an/or daughters, and steals some of
your valuables...who knows...maybe you can sell photos and a story to
Startling Detective or similar rag for a nice piece of change so you
can recover some of your loses. Think of it as a "wash sale".
The true American dream is not owning your own home because...you
never never really do. However, the real American dream is being at
liberty to run your personal finances in the exact same manner as our
government and getting all the perks along the way!
States may free inmates to save millions By RAY HENRY, Associated
Press Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Lawmakers 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.
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.
"If we don't find a way to better manage the population at the state
prison, we will be forced to spend money to expand the state's prison
system -- money we don't have," said Jeff Neal, a spokesman for Rhode
Island Gov. Don Carcieri.
At least eight states are considering freeing inmates or sending some
convicts to rehabilitation programs instead of prison, according to an
Associated Press analysis of legislative proposals. If adopted, the
early release programs could save an estimated $450 million in
California and Kentucky alone.
A Rhode Island proposal would allow inmates to deduct up to 12 days
from their sentence for every month they follow rules and work in
prison. Even some violent offenders would be eligible but not those
serving life sentences.
A plan in Mississippi would offer early parole for people convicted of
selling marijuana or prescription drugs. New Jersey, South Carolina
and Vermont are considering funneling drug-addicted offenders into
treatment, which is cheaper than prison.
The prospect of financial savings offers little comfort to Tori-Lynn
Heaton, a police officer in a suburb of Providence whose ex-husband
went to prison for beating her. He has already finished his prison
term, but would have been eligible for early release under the current
proposal.
"You're talking about victim safety. You're talking about community
member safety," she said. "You can't balance the budget on the backs
of victims of crimes."
But prisons "are one of the most expensive parts of the criminal-
justice system," said Alison Lawrence, who studies corrections policy
for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "That's where they
look to first to cut down some of those costs."
Rhode Island Corrections Director A.T. Wall was not sure how many
prisoners could be freed early. The payoff for doing so may be
relatively small: less than $1 million for the first fiscal year,
although that figure would increase over time.
In California, where lawmakers have taken steps to cut a $16 billion
budget deficit in half by summer, 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 *** offenders
would not be eligible.
Laying off prison guards and making it more difficult to send parole
violators back to state prison would account for part of the savings.
Law enforcement officials and Republican lawmakers immediately
criticized Schwarzenegger's proposal, which would apply to car
thieves, forgers, drunken drivers and some drug dealers. Some would
never serve prison time because the standard sentence for those crimes
is 20 months or less.
"To open the prison door and release prisoners back into communities
is merely placing a state burden onto local governments and will
ultimately jeopardize safety in communities," said Fresno Police Chief
Jerry Dyer, who could see 1,800 inmates released in his area.
In Kentucky, which faces a $1.3 billion deficit, lawmakers approved
legislation Wednesday to grant early release to some prisoners.
Initial estimates were that the plan could affect as many as 2,000
inmates and save nearly $50 million.
If the governor signs the bill, the exact number of prisoners would be
determined by prison officials. Violent convicts and ***ual offenders
would be exempt.
Gov. Steve Beshear has said Kentucky must review its policies after
the state's inmate population jumped 12 percent last year -- the
largest increase in the nation.
Kentucky spends more than $18,600 to house one inmate for a year, or
roughly $51 a day. In California, each inmate costs an average of
$46,104 to incarcerate.
The prison budget in Mississippi has nearly tripled since stricter
sentencing laws took effect in 1994.
To curb spending, lawmakers have offered a bill to make about 7,000
drug offenders in prison eligible for parole. A second proposal would
allow the parole board to release inmates convicted of selling
marijuana and prescription drugs after serving just a quarter of their
sentences. Currently, they must serve 85 percent of their terms before
release.
Michigan is trying to speed up the parole process for about 3,500
inmates who were convicted of nonviolent, non***ual offenses, or who
are seriously ill.
Barbara Sampson, chairwoman of the Michigan Parole Board, said early
release often makes sense, especially for low-risk offenders who get
help rebuilding their lives.
"Getting that prisoner back to the community so that he can stay
connected to his family, getting him back into the work force ...
that's a positive thing," she said.
But not everyone is sold on the idea.
"Economics cannot be the engine that drives the train of public
safety," said Terrence Jungel, executive director of the Michigan
Sheriffs' Association. "Government has no greater responsibility than
the protection of its citizens."
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