Wednesday, March 3, 2010

States Reduce Prison Population - Except Idaho

Many state governments continued last year to reduce their prison populations through sentencing reforms enacted because of shrinking state budgets, according to two reports released Wednesday by a research group that advocates for lower rates of imprisonment.

Read more... 

In contrast, "Most of our citizens, at least the ones that talk to me, don't want those people to be released early from prison," said Senate President Pro Tem Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs. "You don't get there for missing Sunday school class." Read more...

Senator Geddes pretty well sums up the ideology. Let's remain tough on crime even as the state has to slash spending on public education, the elderly, and a host of other critical needs in this state. Idaho can continue to spend more money on an ideology that has a detrimental impact on crime control policies or it can elect to reverse the failed polices of the 1980s and embrace policies that actually reduce recidivism while providing for public safety. But I am not optimistic about the latter.

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