[Vision2020] prison system

[Reynolds, James]

Here is how my view on the Idaho prison situation is coming along.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my edification on this subject
so far. Please don't be hesitant to redirect my understanding. All
contributions are very much welcomed.

 

My opinion so far is we have to ante up the additional funds the
Department of Correction is asking for the 2006 budget. We have to do
this simply because we are imprisoning people we have decided to so we
have to take care of their needs while they are so imprisoned. This is a
case of "we made the bed...now we have to lie on it". I have been
convinced that correction personnel need the perks (for prisoners) in
order to maintain order in the prisons. A very good carrot vs. stick
analogy was used to sway me to this way of thinking; "if you take away
all of the carrots", what is left to shape prisoner behavior is not
going to be pretty.

 

So the bottom line so far for fiscal year budgeting seems to me is that
the Department of Corrections is operating within a reasonable budget
but needs the additional funds to maintain the same level of operational
success with the increased prison population.

 

On the 160 million requested to build more prisons I am not convinced
that that is what Idahoans want. I have been convinced (so far) that
what we want is an elimination of mandatory sentencing so that
mitigating circumstances can be used by the court system to keep
low-risk offenders out of the prisons. I have been convinced that if we
put additional monies into anything it should be drug courts and
rehabilitation. Keeping the low-risk offenders out of prison reduces the
direct cost of housing them and gives the offenders a chance to redeem
themselves by remaining productive citizens.  

 

 

James Reynolds

1424 Borah ave.

Moscow

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