Archive for the ‘Prison’ Category
Education Now, Or Incarceration Later!
Education, or Incarceration: Smith county officials force a choice.
It costs more than 29 thousand dollars a year to house an inmate in the TDC. That is not counting all the peripheral cost just to get him there. It costs much less to provide an education!
This aspect of criminal justice is one of the least tapped in the whole field. The fact is, that it is probably the highest common denominator in criminal justice, and gets the least attention. Looking at the rates of recidivism in Texas, and across the country, the answer becomes obvious. The State of Texas found that there is 20% lower recidivism for those who received a GED certificate and completed a vocational training while in prison.
Stopping crime before it starts.
The impact of education can not be taken lightly when it comes to avoiding the sort of lifestyle which might lead to incarceration. All of the studies, of which I am aware, say the same thing: The better the quality of the education, the less the chance of ending up in prison!
Prevention costs less.
The cost of education is a real bargain compared to the cost of prison, and that does not factor in the cost of the impact of committed crimes, or the cost of the process of getting the convicted person into the prison system to begin with.
Education is not the only factor, but it does seem to be a major factor, and may well be the major factor in this debate.
Why build a jail now?
This adds an ironic poignancy to the debate concerning the Smith county jail bond. It says something about the mindset of our county officials when they choose to present a jail bond package on the same ballot as a school bond package. It is illustrative of the fact that they either don’t understand the situation, or don’t care! I am not sure which is preferable, ignorance, or indifference, but it comes out the same.
This situation is even more dramatic, when you see that the programs and policies of our courts are lowering the incarceration rates, and that these programs are being increased, which will undoubtedly further reduce the numbers in the county facility to meet jail standards.
Felonies Involving Oysters? | 1 0f 21 Adults “In the system”
According to 2007 prison statistics, 1of every 21 adults in Texas are either incarcerated, on parole, on probation.
Texas adults with arrest warrants is over 10%.
From 1978 to 2004, the state population increased by 67%.
During the same period, Texas prison population increased by 573%.
Things considered felonies in Texas, 2,324 of which, Scott Henson points out, 11 involve oysters!
Source: Grits For Breakfast. These statistics have been checked against the official state records, and have been found to be accurate. Some of the statistics are worse than they appear to be, but are based on the latest available records.
A few thoughts on these stats:
If one out of 21 adults in Texas are “in the system,” and at any given time, another 10% of the Texas adult population is available for immediate arrest…well, do the math!
If the population increased by 67%, and the prison population increased 537% during the same period, we are either getting a much larger criminal population from out of state, growing new criminals at an accelerated rate, becoming criminals at an accelerated rate, or there is an official push to put more of us behind bars. Perhaps all of the above.
I think the most likely source of the increase is the next stat quoted above. We have so many things that are considered felonies in our state, that everyone becomes a criminal at some point during the week. If you fall out of favor with the local constabulary, it is almost certain that you have broken some law worthy of arrest. If you make breathing a felony, you can arrest anyone, at any time!
As for the part about oyster felonies, well…
