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| Prison Reform Efforts Ramping Up |
| By sun-sentinel.com |
| Published: 06/29/2009 |
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Prison reform efforts ramping up THE ISSUE: Prison reform efforts gain steam. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board June 29, 2009 Criminal justice reform has long been a cause championed by civil libertarians. Now that business leaders, taxpayer watchdogs and law-enforcement veterans in Florida have joined in, Gov. Charlie Crist and legislators have no good excuse for ignoring this imperative. The Coalition for Smart Justice addressed an open letter last week to Crist and legislators, calling for comprehensive reform in the state prison system and corrections policies. The coalition is made up of business, academic, religious, government, law-enforcement and social service leaders. As the coalition argues, Florida spends too much to put nonviolent offenders in prison. By diverting them to cheaper and better alternatives, the state could free more dollars to invest in programs to rehabilitate violent offenders behind bars before their release. Florida does a bang-up job of putting away convicted criminals. Its prison population of almost 101,000 has jumped nearly a quarter in the past five years. With the average cost of keeping an inmate in prison more than $20,000 a year, the bill for running the system tops $2 billion annually. Many people would argue public safety is worth almost any price, but Florida's prison system doesn't do a very good job of protecting citizens once inmates get out. Of those released, one third commit crimes again within three years.Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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