by Linzie Amick
As a society we have responsibilities to attend to, one of the bigger ones is a controversial issue on the privileges prison inmates are allowed.
Prisoners in the current prison system are being allowed such privileges as colored satellite T.V, an outdoor recreational area with weight lifting, exercise equipment and basketballs and hoops, running warm water, three meals a day, clothes, shelter and the option of schooling with a library provided. All this a no cost to them, but to us it is approximately $ 20,000 per person per year. From 2006 to 2007 8,757 people were sent to state prisons. Out of the 8,757 people sent to prison in the state of Washington between 2006 and 2007 3,761 of those people were repeat offenders.
Therefore in that time the prisoners received approximately $175,140,000 per person to stay for the year. A California prison breaks down the annual cost for the year as follows: reception/diagnosis $156/yr or .8%, Security 11,016/yr or 53%, health care 3,044 or 14.7%, Inmate Support 5,384 or 25.9%, and Inmate work/training 1,158 or 5.6%.
Where as, in Arizona’s Maricopa County they run a prison with a budget of under $3 million per year. They pay 40 cents for meals, they don’t get coffee because there is no nutritional value, allowed to only watch Disney channel, weather station, and the preaching channel, they also have to work on a chain gang which provides the county and city with free work projects.
RosaMary Miller is quoted on saying “Maybe if all prisons were run like this one, there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for crimes- not live in luxury, living at the taxpayer’s expense.” I can say that personally I would have to agree with Ms. Miller I do not think it is absolutely necessary (civic duty or societal responsibility or not) to pay 20 thousand a year for one person to stay in a prison with privileges not earned. Although I do not think that they should live in a jail with rats and one meal a day they could do without satellite T.V, and all the weights they get. If they keep it they should have to earn the privilege to work out with weights or watch T.V. If they do not earn that then they can run for exercise and watch the weather channel.
Dude, there is always plenty of stuff to do at the TEEN ZONE!
Contact the Teen Zone at 566-2201 or email at teenzone@infoway.org.