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| AZ Helping Prisoners Start Over |
| By azcentral.com |
| Published: 05/04/2010 |
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To keep the state afloat in treacherous economic seas, Arizona has already dumped significant public programs and services overboard. But even while battered by a $2.6 billion budget deficit, we must not sacrifice public safety to the wind and the waves. According to the CQ Press Crime State Rankings 2010, Arizona is the ninth-most-dangerous state to live in. Changing this should be a top priority. One of the best ways we can guard our safety without plunging deeper into debt is to make sure the more than 20,000 men and women released from Arizona's prisons each year are prepared to become productive citizens and not repeat offenders. Today, nearly half of these men and women are returning to prison within three years. Released prisoners' track record of failure not only feeds the crime rate but also exacerbates the state's financial woes. Arizona spent 10 percent of its general funds on corrections last fiscal year, and currently has a corrections budget of $924 million. It costs more than $20,000 per year to house a prisoner in Arizona. As the Arizona inmate population climbs past 40,000 people, we must break the cycle of men and women going in and out of costly prison cells. Read More. |
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