There are more black men in prison, parole and probation than enrolled in post secondary education; this is an often cited statistic. Does it take into account age? How many of usual college age fit this ratio? Whether or not the statement is without flaw, there can be no question the improvement of life is accomplished through education. Money for college is essential.One thing Clinton did that blew his liberal credentials was signing the Gringrich crime bill while it included the elimination of Pell Grant money for state prison college.This was not a political compromise, it was abandonment of Democratic vision.
Another often cited statistic is that it costs as much to send a kid to prison as it does to send him to Harvard. This results from relying on 5th grade long division-taking the entirety of the corrections budget and dividing it by the number of inmates.Corrections waste a lot of money. The actual cost of housing an inmate who is not a security threat, feeding him and providing the watchers is vastly less than applying all the salary, construction costs and maximum security expense to each inmate.
I believe the corrections industry is out of control, the prison population shows no sign of abating. Corrections jobs have replaced industrial ones.
I am in favor of prison for crime. The length of time served on indeterminate sentences is way up, and the increasing harshness of sentencing for property crimes and drugs has exploded the prison population. In the case of drugs these measures has increased the violence in the street, as the stakes go ever higher.
Analysis of the economic impact of corrections show that in the post industrial economy, prisons and jails employ more individuals than GM, and has for many years now.
