March 13, 2008
Editorial: “More prisoners, more guards”
Staggering figures from the recently-released Pew Center on the States' Public Safety Performance Project show one in every 99.1 adults in the United States is incarcerated, amounting to more than 2.3 million people behind bars. Higher incarceration rates are not likely because of an increase in crime or a general rise population. Rather, the report concludes, there are more prisoners because of tougher enforcement efforts and longer sentences. Are federal and state budgets in sync with the rising incarceration rates?
Many agencies have been unable to hire enough guards and prison staff to meet demand. The evidence rests in the fact that over the last 20 years, there are proportionally fewer prison guards and personnel monitoring the burgeoning population of lawbreakers. Policy-makers should understand that more prisoners means more guards are needed.
LINK - WashingtonTimes.com
