Too much spent on prisons, study says
Researchers call for more put into probation, parole
By Yvonne Wenger
COLUMBIA — South Carolina puts far too many of its resources into locking up prisoners and not enough toward criminals serving sentences on probation and parole, according to a study released Monday by The Pew Center on the States.
The Post and Courier
Charleston County jail on Leeds Ave.
The study found South Carolina ranks ninth in the country for the rate of incarceration for adults, but this state and others could trim costs, cut recidivism and improve public safety by putting more money into probation and parole services.
"Violent and career criminals need to be locked up, and for a long time. But our research shows that prisons are housing too many people who can be managed safely and held accountable in the community at far lower cost," said Adam Gelb, director of the public safety performance project for the Pew center.
The study, "One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections," finds that probationers, parolees and prisoners account for one in every 31 adults in the country, or 7.3 million people. That number is greater than the combined populations of Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego and Dallas.
The report
1 in 31: The long reach of American corrections, from the PEW Center on the States. (PDF)
1 in 31: State by state fact sheet, from the PEW Center on the States. (PDF)
The findings are especially timely given the crippling budget situation facing the country, Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said. South Carolina's proposed $5.7 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 would have the state spend less than it did five years ago.
The budget for the Department of Corrections was cut $32.9 million, or 9.8 percent, this year, and officials repeatedly warned about the dangers that could come as a result of overtaxed prisons.
Meanwhile, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services insisted the $3.5 million mid-year cut, which accounts for 15.2 percent of its original budget this year, has not jeopardized public safety.
For every dollar the state sent to the prisons, it spent 6 cents on probation and parole, according to the Pew study.
The Post and Courier
A cell in unit at the Charleston County Detention Center.
The Post and Courier described the probation and parole agency's difficulties in the five-part series "Law and Disorder," published in August. The series described how criminals free on probation or parole kill, rob and rape all too often in a state where repeat offenders are routinely released into a system ill equipped to maintain control.
Nationally, the average cost to supervise a person on probation was $3.42 per day compared to about $79 per day to support an inmate, although South Carolina spends closer to $40 a day per inmate. The rate for those on probation and parole varies greatly and was not immediately available.
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley warned that the study should not be used as an excuse to divert career criminals from the prison system before they pay their debt to society.
Law and Disorder
A look at South Carolina's broken probation and parole system - Special report series from The Post and Courier.
"We can't from this lessen our resolve to make sure that people who are engaged in the professional armed, drug- dealing, robbing, assaulting criminal careers, that those people need to spend less time in jail because they don't," Riley said. He has been a long-time advocate for more crime-fighting tools and recently coordinated a statewide effort to push for the passage of an assortment of laws this year.
The study asserts that the cost of keeping prisoners is increasing and the benefits are slipping. So the ability of states to ensure safety falls more than ever on the management of the 5 million offenders on probation and parole, including more than 47,000 in South Carolina. With better services for probationers and parolees, such as global positioning systems and rapid-result drug tests, states would not have the need to put so many people in prison.
In South Carolina, the Legislature created a panel of lawmakers, judges and experts to study alternative sentencing as a way to help address prison overcrowding and potentially free up more space to impose stricter guidelines on how much time behind bars the most violent prisoners actually serve. The Sentencing Reform Commission is scheduled to hold its third meeting Thursday.
Jon Ozmint, director of the Corrections Department and a member of the sentencing commission, said the study's finding are consistent with what experts here know.
Sentencing Reform Commission
Web site with information on the S.C. Sentencing Reform Commission, including members, mission statement and presentations from affected departments.
"We've never taken a hard look at how we use prison space and we've never taken an evidence-based look at how we fund and use probation and parole," Ozmint said.
Attorney General Henry McMaster said the Pew study solidifies his argument for the state to abolish parole, put truth in sentencing and create a middle court to deal with nonviolent offenders. McMaster noted that it costs at least $16,000 a year for every prisoner while middle court would cost $3,250, and has a recidivism rate of one in 10 compared to seven in 10 in the prisons.
KEY FINDINGS
Pew Center on the States released a study Monday that says South Carolina and other states should shift money from prisons to probation and parole services in order to get a better grip on crime. The report's key findings and recommendations were:
• In the early 1980s, one in 77 adults in the country was in prison or on probation or parole, compared to today's rate of one in 31.
• Across the country, two-thirds of offenders are in the community, not in prisons; one in 45 adults is on probation or parole and one in 100 is in prison or jail.
• Sort offenders by risk to public safety to determine appropriate levels of supervision.
• Harness advances in supervision technology such as electronic monitoring and rapid-result alcohol and drug tests.
• Impose swift and certain sanctions for offenders who break the rules of their release but who do not commit new crimes.
• Create incentives for offenders and supervision agencies to succeed, and monitor their performance.
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Comments
Kara_Zor_El (anonymous) says...
Maybe if prisons weren't more luxurious than a swanky hotel--minus the amenity of privacy, we wouldn't have this problem in the first place! Look at how in the old times when it was no more than a room with some hay in it and instead of fantastic meals, they had bread and water...the problems prisons face today were non-existent! The problem lies far beyond who is actually in prison, which is another issue all together--I agree people who are in for something small like possession of marijuana are taking up space for people who are cold-blooded killers who had the luck of a great lawyer!
March 3, 2009 at 1:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chucktonian (anonymous) says...
Probation and parole = more dead innocent people. We don't lock ENOUGH people up around here.
March 3, 2009 at 2:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jwebster80 (anonymous) says...
When I hear the term "prison overcrowding" my immmediate reaction is "good". S.C. should take a page from the Maricopa Count system in AZ. Trust me, without cable, cigarettes and air conditioning there would be far fewer repeat offenders.
March 3, 2009 at 5:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Kara_Zor_El (anonymous) says...
"Trust me, without cable, cigarettes and air conditioning there would be far fewer repeat offenders." - My point exactly jwebster!
March 3, 2009 at 5:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TarNFeatherEm (anonymous) says...
Please tell me why we have people that owe child support in jail for years at a time (therefore adding more to what they already owe) and repeat drug offenders and repeat violent offenders on the street? I don't think we have enough people in the jails! We should model our jails after the one in AZ. I say make the dead bead dad's get out on chain gangs every weekend and clean up our roadways- let them work during the week so they can catch up that child support.
March 3, 2009 at 6 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sig (anonymous) says...
I agree with all the above. Take away the T.V and everything else. Make them pay their way while in prision. But we can not do that because we may violate their civil rights.
Once they were found guilty of the crime their rights went out the window. Do not let them sit in their cell and do nothing. Put them to work. Make them grow their own food, clean the streets, pick up the garbage. If they happen to have a skill, such as a working on cars, let them work on the city and county vehicles.
Make them pay their way somehow! Their are a lot of folks that barely make $16000 a year and we pay $16000 a year to lock them up. That is crazy. Put them in the swamps in a tent with the gators and snakes.
March 3, 2009 at 6:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
I think some of you have been watching too many movies.
There really are not any "luxurious" prisons, especially if one is referring to any of the state or county jails/prisons. The "country club Fed" also is pretty much a myth.
CCDC often has such overcrowding that many prisoners, many of whom have been only charged & not [yet] convicted, sleep on the floor.
If one calls food labeled "not for human consumption" as part of a nutritious & "fantastic" meal...then I guess we all should be jealous of those gourmet prison spreads.
Cigarettes were banned from the SC prisons in 2007. The prisoners can still get them of course, but they are not "allowed" to have them.
People on probation in SC have to pay a "supervising" fee every month that they are on probation. I am curious if the number in the article takes that into account.
I am one citizen that wants the violent offenders(child abusers,real sex offenders(i.e. not the 18 yr old who had sex with his 16 yr old long time girl friend), murderers, etc taken off the street & away from society in such a way that we do not have to be concerned that these types of people will be given a chance to harm again.
Figure out something else to do with the pot heads & "dead beat dads".
Also, people, do some deep research on the prison industry in this country. You might figure out why the US has the highest per capita prisoner population in the world.
March 3, 2009 at 6:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
geekboy (anonymous) says...
I say make the dead bead dad's get out on chain gangs every weekend and clean up our roadways-
**************************************
I believe you meant "deadbeat parent".
March 3, 2009 at 7:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
Yes, "deadbeat parent" is a more encompassing term.
However I have not heard of a dead beat mom getting jail time. I imagine it has happened, I just have not heard of a case.
March 3, 2009 at 8:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GeneralSumter (anonymous) says...
Prison in SC is like a gym membership... workout, watch TV, eat, rest, workout, watch TV... sure, let's have our prisoners get stronger while watching CSI so they know what not to do during their next crime.
Put them prisoners in full jumpsuits, heavy armor and make them sleep outside like our troops overseas have to do. Give them MREs to eat and only let them sleep 4-6 hours a day. Make them work the rest of the time. And if you don't work, you don't eat. Seriously, this line between inhumane and luxury has become very broad.
March 3, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
512c (anonymous) says...
More Crime fighting ability= more criminals in Jail.
More laws against life= more criminals.
We are insane.
Private prisons= crooked judges.
secret handshakes= secret payoffs.
I am sick of this discussion.
We don't need this. We need to Legalize many things. Educate the people, with least push. Minds are organic, we can't legislate growth.
The judges that send people to prison, that demand high bails for anything like weed possession, or sales, should petition to change the law that requires they become living lies.
I am in contempt of most courts.
March 3, 2009 at 8:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lantanagurl (anonymous) says...
McMaster is a FOOL. abitskeptical...thank you so much for pointing out the truth about prisons. Honestly! Most people have no clue about what goes on. I disagree with your pot head comment, however. Weed is nothing compared to all of the PRESCRIPTION drugs that people are operating their vehicles under the influence of. Not too mention they get quite the pretty penny out on the street! And don't even get me started with alcohol! Ever seen a pot head get violent? Rob a bank? ANYTHING violent? If so, then I'd love to see that person cuz they are an anamoly. Marijuana was outlawed at the national level in the US by the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. (Note that the US Government has traditionally used the spelling "marihuana".)And the reasoning? Migrant populations, among many other assinine reasons. Look it up. There are far better ways to spend our tax money, don't you think? If you want to be a part of the SOLUTION, www.scri.collectivex.com. WE are trying to save tax dollars AND make our neighborhoods safer with education & many other avenues for positive change & NO! I am not a bleeding heart liberal. I personally support the death penalty & wish Marion Square had gallows! Maybe if people saw the result of violent crime being PUNISHED they might be a little more inclined to refrain from it. And we should televise it, too. That's my opinion. BTW, most of the people in jail are not there for violence or crimes against other people. They are they because of crimes against THE STATE and not individuals.
March 3, 2009 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
zekemire (anonymous) says...
PRISONS SHOULD BE A PUNISHMENT, NOT A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE THAN YOUR HOME! This is the problem caused by radical prisoner's rights groups! THEY HAVE NO RIGHTS!THEY LOST THEM WHEN THEY COMMITTED THE CRIME(S)! IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE HARD TIME PUNISHMENT, NOT A COUNTRY CLUB ATMOSPHERE! OVERCROWDING? NO SUCH THING FOR THIS SCUM!
March 3, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
The problem is that loading up prisoners to work on roads and other "chain gang" type projects is more expensive than letting them rot in prison for $40 a day. A chain gang requires a van or vehicle for transportation which has to be maintained, fueled, have a driver and be insured. Once the men are working, more guards are required and they are expensive.
A lot of the community service type work which used to be ordered as punishment has been phased out because nobody could pay the overhead cost. These are low value jobs that may not be worth the cost of supervising them.
SC probably has the cost of incarceration down to its bare minimum. We lock lots of people up for a long time at half the daily cost of the national average. We remain one of the most violent ridden states in the US.
Charleston County is finishing a massive expansion of it's jail which will probably add a thousand additional prisoners to the county's budget when it fills up, as it will do. The money to run that will be funds which might otherwise run our libraries, parks and other County programs. However, people in SC love punishment and they're happy to sacrifice everything else to hear those cell doors slam shut, even though most of them have never been inside a prison or jail. The people they elect give them what they want.
SC, a Republican paradise where budget cuts and being tough on crime solves all our problems and clears the way for a live lived on family values. SC is a state with one of the shortest average life spans, lowest educational levels, highest illegitimacy rates and highest murder rates in the United States. Under Republican rule for over twenty years, yet somehow it's all the Democrats fault.
March 3, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
Hee HAAAWW, Yuck Yuck! Kill 'em all, let god sort them out! Heee HAAAWW yuck yuck!
March 3, 2009 at 9:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
guidedbystewart (anonymous) says...
ooopps! I forgot to capitalize God, now the villagers are going to come after me with torches and pitchforks!
March 3, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
regulardude (anonymous) says...
Unlike many of you (i'm sure,) I actually have childhood friends and family members that have been incarcerated in SC prisons. If you think that they live a better life in prison then in their homes, you are sadly mistaken. If you want to know what life is really like in those prisons, sit down and talk to an inmate, or actually visit the prison and listen to the horror stories. If you actually read the article it stated the average cost of housing an inmate is $79, and SC only spends half of that ($40).
And before a few of you think I'm one of those "save the children" people, I'm not. Those who break the law should be punished. I just wanted to let a few of you know that you are truly misinformed on the conditions of prisons in this state.
True Story - a former inmate told me that one morning he went to take a shower and saw a young male being brutaly raped by an older gentlemen. I asked what did you do? He said I pretended like I didn't see it, just like everyone else in the shower at the time, because I didn't want to become a victim myself. Luxiorous? A non-smoker would want a cigarette after witnessing something like that.
March 3, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Hobcaw (anonymous) says...
Sheriff Joe in Phoenix is a great model - baloney, no library, Disney channel, no Air-Conditioning, back breaking work - all in pink boxers!
Go JOE!
March 3, 2009 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
regulardude (anonymous) says...
Last I checked they still have crime in phoenix. So the I'm GOD and anyone that breaks the law is the scum of the earth philosophy isn't working. Not everyone in those prisons have life sentences. After completing their sentence they will once again become members of society. A few may even move into your Eutopian community. So you may want to invest in rehabilition for those offenders that are good people that simply made a mistake.
If your son, daughter, or relative commited a crime, I'm sure your story will change. "He/She is a good person that made a mistake. They don't deserve to be treated like an animal. Sniffle Sniffle".
Painting people from all walks of life with a broad brush isn't the answer to everything.
March 3, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
regulardude (anonymous) says...
haroldreems - I couldn't agree more. At least there a few of us left out there that actually think rationally before we speak.
March 3, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eatmorecollards (anonymous) says...
One thing that one can count on in jail is three hots and a cot. Sometimes other amenities also.
Take into consideration persons so down trodden they don't have that. To these persons getting away with crime verses getting caught and going to jail is sometimes not a deterrent.
March 3, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Posted by 512c " I am in contempt of most courts",
and I am also.
Judges getting pay offs, turning child molesters loose for "treatment" or jerking off while adjudicating cases and we have to treat them all as "your honor"?
Attorneys trying to make a name for themselves (in the name of justice) often defending the indefensible so they can get recognition and move into higher paying firms or slots in the government systems.
In response to the denigrating of republicans by a previous democratic zealot I might point out that the majority of liberal judges that consider the rights of the criminal to exceed those of the victim are democratic appointees (at least at the federal level) and care more about the opinion of the leftist ACLU than they do about what is equitable.
Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa county in Arizona has it right. Put prisoners in tents, feed them bologna sandwiches, no coffee, no tobacco, no TV except the Weather channel and Disney and no desire to return.
Nothing cruel there, just a very unpleasant environment which is just what jail should be.
March 3, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Sark (anonymous) says...
Any bets on how many of the people commenting that prisoners have no rights and the like claim to be followers of Jesus?
What the US should be doing is asking all our European friends how it is that they manage to have LESS or the same level of crime while imprisoning FAR fewer people. Unless Americans are just unusually evil people, it shouldn't be necessary to lock up so many people for the public to be reasonably safe.
You can't claim to be the freest country in the world while imprisoning more people per capita than anywhere else except China and N Korea (both brutal authoritarian regimes last time I checked).
March 3, 2009 at 12:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
geekboy (anonymous) says...
Posted by haroldreems on March 3, 2009 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
******************************
I have to say sir, that I loved your work in "For Your Thighs Only", and "Back Door Bride".
Classic work, absolutely classic.
March 3, 2009 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
I haven't seen any bleeding heart judges in South Carolina on the State or Federal Bench. The give long sentences and our prisons and jail are always full to overcapacity. I'm sure if we had more room more people would be locked up longer.
I've known plenty of people in prison and they all wanted to get out very badly. The best facilities are sterile, isolating bits of hell. The worst are chaotic carnivals of brutality, most of which is provided by the inmates. Low security facilities with low risk prisoners were clearly the best places to be locked up. Most prisoners are happy to work. CCI was apparently the sixth level of hell before they tore it down.
California built some super max facilities for long term violent offenders. Solitary confinement. No entertainment. Little exercise. Almost no human contact. No windows. After a few years in these facilities, most of the prisoners were so messed up mentally that nobody believed they could every function outside of a controlled institutional setting again. The few that did get released, even with some time in an intermediate facility, almost immediately ended up incarcerated again. They had been turned into monsters who couldn't function normally any longer. These were bad, messed up people to start with but the prison facility made them worse. The guards got messed up too if they worked there too long.
March 3, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
regulardude (anonymous) says...
eatmorcollards - You made a comment about inmates recieving 3 hots and a cot. Meals are not always hot in prison and because of overcrowding you'll be lucky if you get a cot. It's more like cold cut sandwiches and a cement floor. I really doubt that meals and a place to sleep motivate an alarming number of people to begin commiting crimes. Of course there may be a few, but not many. We do have homeless shelters that provide meals and a place to sleep at night.
March 3, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
FortDorchesterMom (anonymous) says...
There seems to be a misconception about our prisons here. I'm not sure why people think that it's a great place, with T.V.'s and weight rooms and wonderful food. Where does that come from? The fact is, the prisons here in South Carolina are run on the very least amount of money, which means that the food is crap...rotted and nasty. Most of the time, they are understaffed, because they just can't pay the guards. Oh, and the guards are paid the least amount that SC will squeek out, so of course, you get the cream of the crop(sarcasm)
I agree that prisons should be a place of punishment, but I also think that there are entirely too many people that are locked up for non-violent crimes, that could be monitered outside of the prison environment. Prison shouldn't be fun and believe me, it's not.
I visit a young man in prison here, and there is no weight room, the food is horrifying, and there are 2 guards to 200 inmates. Dangerous conditions...
March 3, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
"PRISONS SHOULD BE A PUNISHMENT, NOT A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE THAN YOUR HOME! This is the problem caused by radical prisoner's rights groups!"
YOU GUYS ARE TOOOO MUCH! LOL
March 3, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Sark (anonymous) says...
Unless a prisoner is serving a life sentence, shouldn't the goal of prison to be to rehabilitate that person for when they're released back into society?
March 3, 2009 at 5:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
alwaysamazed (anonymous) says...
Sark, sorry, there is no such thing as rehabilitation. It's a word that they use to make everyone else feel safe. The truth of the matter is that the prisoners are warehoused, there is no counseling and no "rehabilitation". It's a joke. We should all be pretty scared, because prisoners are simply kept confined with nothing to stop them from doing what put them into prison in the first place...once they get out. What is really scary is that non-violent, and violent prisoners are all living together...and learning from each other.
I think our tax-payer money would be well spent on some actual "rehabilition" because the whole point is to make sure that the criminal doesn't do the crime again.
March 3, 2009 at 6:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Kara_Zor_El (anonymous) says...
Clearly my sarcasm is lost on some. Do you seriously think I mean jails are luxurious? And they have fantastic food? All I meant was better than bread and water. My main point is that prisons are too nice and too comfortable. These are violent offenders (and pot heads & dead beat dads--but the overcrowding issue pops up again with that). As far as rights go, they gave them up when they chose not to obey the law. There are a few rights left but cable tv and sweet gyms are not one of them. They have the right to bare necessities, i.e. food, water, clothing, shelter. That's it. And alwaysamazed, I completely agree 110%, there is no such thing as rehabilitation in prisons. You're right, if money was actually spent on rehabiliating the prisoners and possibly even more money making the schools a better place with better activities and opportunities, we'd have less of a problem with the youngest of the thugs.
March 3, 2009 at 7:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
greyman (anonymous) says...
Most of the people on here are ignorant. I have never been to prison, but I am sure it sucks. They are not living the good life. I am sure living in fear of getting raped or stabbed is not all it is cracked up to be. If you commit a crime then you deserve to go to jail. If you are sent to a prison you should at least be protected and treated humainly. The fricken terrorists at gitmo get better treatment than our American prisoners.
March 3, 2009 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JJRPAS (anonymous) says...
Why all the comments about "prison conditions". This article has nothing to do with prison conditions, except to say that no other state spends less on prisons than SC. SC prisons arguably have the worst conditions of any state in the country. This story is about a recent study by one of the most respected research entities on earth. The study indicates that SC (and other states) have been doing it wrong for more than 20 years. These mistakes have ruined thousands of lives, increased crime, and made more victims. These mistakes have cost SC tax payers millions through over-kill sentencing that has filled prisons and reaped no benefit to SC citizens. Other states have awoken and revised their sentencing guidelines. SC Legislators cannot fix all that has been wasted and the lives that have been destroyed. But, they're about to develop legislation that can make the road forward positive. Please don't listen to the same people that you've been listening to over the pst several years. For God sake, make believe McMaster doesn't exist. He's a lost old man with old, failed concepts. He wants to increase the pain that we've experienced over the past 20 years, double the prison population, increase crime as a result and cause more victims. Pay attention to the historical facts and learn from our errors. Emulate success stories. We need to reduce crime, reduce our prison population and prevent victimization.
March 3, 2009 at 9:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
agastah (anonymous) says...
I've seen the prison system in SC first hand. Most of them complain non stop about the conditions(especially when the AC goes out). The prison does provide positive outlets for them but most want to sit around all day and blame the system. Its sad but I would definitely say their education level has a lot to do with it. At the prison I was at(level 2) they had access to basically a small store that sells more things than you would think.
March 3, 2009 at 9:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fyrefighter273 (anonymous) says...
Abitskeptical hit the nail on the head look at who prospers in the prison business, Aramark, the American Correctional Association, Jack L Marcus,Bob Barker and countless other businesses. Kentucky lead the nation in private prisons (they even hired a commissioner from Corrections Corp of America). Inmates are a multi billion a year business. The deadbeat parents are just one example of who needs alternate sentencing, they would look good in pink jumpsuits in Goose Creek picking up trash, or picking up trash at the Battery on weekends then be working through the week. We need to find better ways.
March 3, 2009 at 10:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BPFROM843 (anonymous) says...
what we need is a program that offers expungment of felonies for non-violent drug offenders and other low class felonies so that they can mesh back in with society because no one wants to sell drugs for life but as long as they cant get a job other than hard construction or mcds they will keep doin what they are doin because there is hardly any alternatives but to go back to sellin drugs the streets is always hiring but when you try to find a job its funny to talk to all these managers and as soon as you check yes on the have you ever been convicted of a felony no matter your crudentials and not to mention how much drugs the manager used to do while in his younger days they still look down on you and deny you your opportunity there is no 2nd chances when you have a felony. To bad everyone that commits a crime isnt arrested then we could do away with background checks cause everyone would have a record
March 3, 2009 at 10:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
BPFROM843 "To bad everyone that commits a crime isnt arrested then we could do away with background checks cause everyone would have a record"
===========================================================
Ouch! That's so close to the truth it hurts.
March 3, 2009 at 11:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DawnM (anonymous) says...
Do they get blankets to sleep? I noticed in that picture there are no blankets on the beds.
March 3, 2009 at 11:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCPDBLUE (anonymous) says...
TENT CITY if The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, headed by the famed Sheriff Joe Arpaio can do it so can Sheriff Al Cannon, Sheriff Knight or Sheriff Dewitt. It can be done and it would save the tax payers alot of money. It would cost less money for lodging these scumbags and feeding them. If our military can live in the Iraq in 120+ degree weather so can these scumbags.No other detention facility in the country, state or county can boast of 2,000 convicts in tents. Of equal success and notoriety are his chain gangs, which contribute thousands of dollars of free labor to the community. The male chain gang, and the world's first-ever female and juvenile chain gangs, clean streets, paint over graffiti, and bury the indigent in the county cemetery. Also impressive are the Sheriff's get tough policies. For example, he banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and unrestricted TV in all jails. He has the cheapest meals in the U.S. too. The average meal costs about 15 cents, and inmates are fed only twice daily, to cut the labor costs of meal delivery. He even stopped serving them salt and pepper to save tax payers $20,000 a year. Sheriffs dont tell me it cant be done,here is proof. quit making nice costly tax payer jails, Contact Uncle Joe at the Maracopa County Sheriffs office he'll hook you up and it wont bleed the tax payers dry. with the money saved you could hire more road deputies and jailers. Give it a try what do you have to lose.
March 4, 2009 at 10:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JJRPAS (anonymous) says...
SCPDBLUE - You've missed the point of the article. This is not about prison conditions (good or bad). The article is about Sentencing reform. Smart reform, to reduce crime, reduce the number of victims and reduce the number of encarcerated people. Putting them in tents, instead of jail cells sounds great (kinda like camping). Sounds fun, it just has nothing at all to do with sentencing reform. We need sensible reform that reduces the number of people locked up (in tents or jail cells), reduces recidivsm and reduces crime. It can be done. It is being done in all other civilized nations. No one else encarcerates 1% of it's citizens. Buying tents until we reach 2% or 5% is simply continuing a failed policy. This is not how we will remain the greatest nation on earth. The answers are already available, legislators now need to react by quickly changing the current system.
March 5, 2009 at 9:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
babeegurl (anonymous) says...
They need to stop arresting people for stupid reasons. Examples 1)Driving under suspension(so what I didn't pay a freakin parking ticket!!!!
2)For child support-Make them work and make these woman stop opening their legs so much and not taking care of theirselves.(Do you know the police will break your door down to just to find a child support offender!) So the woman gets welfare, childsupport, foodstamps, section 8, etc etc. What does the man get-Nothing No help!!!!
3)Marijuana should be legal-Alcohol is a whole heck-a-of-alot worse!!!!
4)And any other dumb reason.....They need to focus on sex offender and murderers
April 18, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tides (anonymous) says...
Over the past 20 years, SC judges and prosecutors have been locking people up for stupid stuff.
Since the SC Code of Laws allows traffic violators to be jailed, why doesn't it happen?
May 18, 2009 at 12:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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