

by Peter Moskos

May 24, 2011

Where does that $50,000 go?

Security: $20,429

Medical services: $7,669

Parole operations: $4,436

Facility operations: $3,938

Administration: $2,871

Psychiatric services: $1,403

Food: $1,377

Education: $687

Records: $513

Vocational education: $289

Inmate welfare fund: $282

Clothing: $152

Religion: $53

Activities: $23

Library: $23

Transportation: $15



Dana King said...

all I can say is, it's not worth the expense unless the guy is a danger to others. There must be other ways to handle most offenders. (I haven't read IN DEFENSE OF FLOGGING yet.)

Wayward4now said...

The actual purpose of a prison it to "break a person down to their core-being and then to rebuild them from the ground up." THAT would be the humane thing to do. The goal would be to teach empathy, so that the pain caused to others is personally felt. Then, you wouldn't cause pain to others.

Obviously that doesn't happen and the moral taxpayer is being cheated. It's the morally sick and spiritually bankrupt that applaud the notion that prison is for punishment. If you punish someone out of meanness, guess what comes back home? It's predicable.

But even the lash, if done out of compassion, allowing a first time offender to take his licks and go back to work after a couple of sick days off to recover, is FAR preferable than going to prison ...if nothing is to be done with you during that time. :) Ric