LETTER
TO THE
EDITOR
Dear Editor, The Friday, Aug. 27 editorial in The Arizona Republic, “Key questions about our prisons,” grabbed my attention, particularly the paragraph: “Here’s another word: opportunity.”
It seems to me we have the opportunity to ask the one billion dollar question. Not how our prison system should be organized or how many, and what type of prisoners should be incarcerated in private prisons. But the key question should be, “Why do we have so many prisoners in the first place?”
A letter to John Arnold of Governor Brewer’s office points out that Arizona could save about $500 million per year if our incarceration rates versus probation and parole were in line with the ratio of New Mexico.
Arizona and New Mexico have a lot in common, including about the same proportion of criminally inclined. One out of every 33 people in Arizona is subject to the correctional system while one out of 35 is in the same condition in New Mexico.
Yet the Arizona incarceration rate is roughly twice that of New Mexico, three times that of Maine, three times that of Russia and eight times that of Poland.
The Pew Trust, which seems to have the most information on prison populations by state and country, says that parole and/or probation costs about ten percent as much as keeping someone in prison.
On this basis, and considering the high percentage of people in prison in Arizona compared with anywhere else, our first endeavor should be to see what needs to be done to reduce our prison population.
After we have done that we can determine who will be in charge of the greatly reduced population, and where they will be housed.
Sincerely,
Dan Adams
Payson
1 comment:
I clearly remember during my former life in Georgia when a legendary governor was interviewed about Georgia's over-crowded prisons and constant turmoil within them.
His famous answer: "We need a better class of prisoners."
Then, as I imagine now, folks walked away from the interview looking like the guy at the end of the Aflac commercial.
What, on earth, is this writer proposing? Can he be serious?
Is he suggesting that a majority of prisoners are incarcerated for relatively minor offenses of a nature not endangering the public?
I would dearly like to see the statistics on that. Somehow, I get the feeling he is referring to folks locked up for drug possession or dealing. Is that it? If so, he should back up his claim with a defense of his statement. Might actually result in an interesting conversation.
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