Saturday, November 17, 2007

Seek Overincarceration Solutions

"If all the people in the Texas criminal justice system lived in a single community, it would be the fourth largest city in Texas," reported The Texas Observer in one of several related items regarding overincarceration that deserve Grits readers attention:

6 comments:

  1. Just let everybody out of jail,fire all the police and grits and his readers will be happy.

    Joe

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  2. Make an argument, Joe, not a slur. I encourage debate from people who disagree with me, but have a low tolerance for trolling, which is how I'd characterize this comment.

    Basically my only two comment rules are these: 1) don't libel, and 2) you can be as mean-spirited as you want (though I discourage it) as long as you make an actual argument. A slur assuming you know the minds and motives of people you've never met doesn't qualify. best,

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  3. That's it! That's the best you got!

    Joe

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  4. Hay Grits I'll send you some money Dec 1-2007.Keep up the good work.

    Joe

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  5. Joe, having a little trouble staying in touch with reality?

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  6. qcgmYou know, politics is a funny aminal, or so it's said. It's very hard to get into the subconscious minds of most political leaders that diversions from incarceration are they key to not having to spend untold billions of dollars to build more lock up facilities. Probation officer have preached for years that caseloads of 150 offenders, a vast majority of whom are drug offenders, will never be a solution to the influx of offenders entering the system. This past session, the state lege graciously provided some additional funds for extra treatment beds, but nothing to fix the problems of existing facilities. Some are on the brink of closure because of inadequate funding and/or starvation wages paid to their security staff. If you think the prison guards are underpaid, try to exist on the salary of a detention worker. Until probation and treatment becomes as much of a priority for the so called "key leaders" in the communities as it is for some, we will never get out of this mess. Chairman madden did a fantastic job this past session in delivering the message, but I honestly think that many political leaders are bent on retribution, rather than treatment, being the solution to increasing incarceration rates. It is certainly the key at reelection time.

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