2004-05-27
HUMAN RIGHTS
PRISON ISSUES
California Pols think educating inmates helpful | From the Sacramento Bee, the astounding news that some politicians, even Republicans, find it appaling that people spend years in prison and still leave to the streets with a fourth grade reading level or worse | Some actually seem to think there's a correlation to "parole failure" and recidivism to engaging in crime as a career choice | What will they think of next?
To correct this, the California Legislature proposes to:
Seriously, does anybody think this doesn't make sense?
Mind you, even if the measure passes, California's citizenry will still have to approve it by referendum | No telling how smart the rest of the populace is | I reman cautiously hopeful | Maybe the rest of the nation will start thinking smart again, too | ¶ 11:47
PRISON ISSUES
California Pols think educating inmates helpful | From the Sacramento Bee, the astounding news that some politicians, even Republicans, find it appaling that people spend years in prison and still leave to the streets with a fourth grade reading level or worse | Some actually seem to think there's a correlation to "parole failure" and recidivism to engaging in crime as a career choice | What will they think of next?
To correct this, the California Legislature proposes to:
- ...would require the Department of Corrections to evaluate the educational, vocational and mental health needs of inmates within 90 days of their incarceration.
The measure, which still requires Assembly approval before it can be placed before voters, would also require prison officials to prescribe and implement a plan to address the inmates' educational needs.
Proponents of the measure say spending more on education means spending less on prisons.
For every dollar spent on educational and vocational programs in prison, the state can count on saving between $1.71 and $3.23 in improved public safety and reduced prison costs, according to various studies cited by Vasconcellos.
Other studies show major savings from mental health and parental education programs.
"We can't just be tough on crime," said Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. "We must be smart on crime, and including rehabilitation as part of the mission in corrections is about as smart as I believe we can get."
For the rest of the story see the Bee article Prisoner ed measure advances
Seriously, does anybody think this doesn't make sense?
Mind you, even if the measure passes, California's citizenry will still have to approve it by referendum | No telling how smart the rest of the populace is | I reman cautiously hopeful | Maybe the rest of the nation will start thinking smart again, too | ¶ 11:47
