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Revenue per pupil is on the decline.

PEN STATE? Prisons Gobble Up 23 Percent of State Budget

Focus on $35,000 Per Year Cost of Inmate Rather Than $8,000 Per Student

July 21, 2013       1 Comments
By: Dave Rogers

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Policymakers who grumble about the $8,000 annual cost of educating a child have their priorities confused.

They should worry more about how to reduce the $35,000 annual cost of keeping an inmate in prison.

The present flash point in Michigan education is the bankrupt Buena Vista School District, but several other districts are in financial distress.

One group concerned about the high prison population is the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending (CAPP).

From 2001-2011, CAPP reports, corrections spending increased by 25 percent, consuming over 23 percent of the state's General Fund, while General Fund spending on programs proven to reduce crime declined. For example:

  • Spending on the School Aid Fund declined in the same period, resulting in cuts to numerous programs for elementary and high school students.

    David Arsen, professor of educational administration at Michigan State University points out:

    "Between 2002 and 2011, real per-pupil funding of Michigan's public schools fell by $2,643 or 24.5 percent. Consequently, virtually all schools have cut services. Some of this decline is due to the state's decade-long economic contraction which depressed sales, income and property tax collections. But that's not the main story. Sixty percent of the revenue decline can be attributed to declining tax effort -- in other words, policy decisions. If we had merely devoted the same share of our personal income to public schools in 2011 as in 2002, per-pupil funding would have been $1,589 higher.

    Massachusetts, the highest-performing state on most student outcome measures, spends about 40 percent more per pupil than Michigan. Our revenue decline has not yet hit bottom.

    - See more at: http://edwp.educ.msu.edu/new-educator/2013/faculty-viewpoint/#sthash.RKHlDBef.dpuf

  • Spending on community health services, which includes mental health and substance abuse treatment, declined by 10 percent. Twenty percent of the people in prison are mentally ill and 60 percent were addicted to drugs when they were incarcerated.

  • Spending for higher education dropped by 38 percent between Fiscal Years 2001-2013.

    This year there are 43,451 prisoners in 32 prisons and 10 "virtual" prisons (county jails with a total of 313 beds).

    Michigan has 5,000 people serving life terms and is the highest in long-term incarceration rate among 35 states studied in 2009 by the Pew Center on the States.

    Over the past 30 years, Michigan's prison population grew at 29 times the rate of its total population.

    More than 56 percent of the prison population is non-white and more than 95 percent male. Some 60 percent are serving their first prison term, 70 percent for assaultive behavior, 8 percent drug offenders, nearly 19 percent sex offenders and the average term is nearly 9 years while nearly 12 percent are lifers.

    Probation and parole violators make up more than 40 percent of the 2012 intake, CAPP reported.

    CAPP, a non-profit public policy organization, is concerned about Michigan's excessive use of punitive strategies rather than preventive ones to deal with crime and its impact on our quality of life. Because policy choices, not crime rates, determine corrections spending.

    CAPP asserts there is little correlation between violent crime and incarceration rates.

    CAPP advocates re-examining those policies and shifting our resources to services that prevent crime, rehabilitate offenders and address the needs of all our citizens in a cost-effective manner.

    To achieve these goals, CAPP develops data-driven proposals for reducing the prison population while ensuring public safety. It informs policymakers, advocacy groups, affected communities and the general public about these issues through numerous means, including a website, a newsletter, research reports, legislative testimony and speaking appearances.

    Laura M. Sager, CAPP Executive Director, has led a number of Michigan and national criminal justice reform efforts. Before becoming CAPPS's executive director, she served as associate director. From 2007-2011, she was the executive director of the Campaign for Justice (CFJ), and worked to reform Michigan's public defense delivery system.

    One major issue now in the State Legislature is long-awaited legislation to reform Michigan laws that currently allow juveniles to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, or JLWOP, was introduced in June and is now awaiting action in the House Criminal Justice Committee.

    The bills have strong bipartisan support. One of the bills in the package, HB 4809, also includes important parole process reforms that would apply to all people serving parolable life sentences.

    House Bills 4806, 4807, and 4808 would bring Michigan law into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court (Miller v Alabama) ruling that a mandatory life without parole sentence for crimes committed by a juvenile is unconstitutional.

    HB 4806, sponsored by Rep. Joe Haveman (R-Holland), would permit courts to re-sentence Michigan prisoners currently serving life without parole for murders they committed as juveniles. The bill establishes a re-sentencing procedure and requires courts to consider factors related to the person's age at the time of the offense. The new sentence could be a term of years or a life sentence with or without the possibility of parole.

    HB 4807, sponsored by Rep. Al Pscholka (R-Stevensville) and HB 4808 (sponsored by Rep. Margaret O'Brien (R-Portage) would prohibit mandatory sentencing of juveniles to life without parole.

    HB 4809, also sponsored by Rep. Haveman, creates parole eligibility at 15 years for JLWOP prisoners sentenced to parolable life terms. The bill also requires the parole board to consider factors related to the person's age at the time of the offense.

    HB 4809 includes important parole review process reforms that are consistent with CAPPS's recommendations. The reforms would address barriers to parole that have kept hundreds of aging prisoners behind bars for decades beyond their earliest release dates, regardless of their risk to public safety.

    Opponents of the provisions in Rep. Haveman's package have introduced an alternative JLWOP reform bill. Sen Rick Jones (R-Eaton County) introduced Senate Bill 319 and the bill was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    Among its other provisions, SB 319 would require any JLWOP prisoners re-sentenced to parolable life to serve a mandatory minimum of 45 years before they become eligible for parole.

    Board members of CAPP include:

    Gary Ashby, Former Director Restorative Justice Ministry, Diocese of Lansing;

    Antonio Benavides, Former Mayor, City of Lansing;

    Michael A. Boulus, Executive Director, Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan;

    Robert Brown Jr., former Director Michigan Department of Corrections;

    Trevor W. Coleman, Author and Journalist;

    Rev. Vernon Hoffman, retired Pastor, Reformed Church in America;

    Monica Jahner, Program Director ARRO, NorthWest Initiative;

    Rev. Jacque McDaniel, Worship International Church, East Lansing;

    Michael F. Reagan, Chief External Relations Officer, Cherry Street Health Services;

    Mary Lynn Stevens, Director of Development, University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women;

    William S. Tregea, Professor, Adrian College;

    Michael Vizena, Executive Director, Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards;

    Brad Williams, Vice President, Government Relations, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. ###

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    Anonymous Says:       On July 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
    i guess the trick is to call schools prisons then we can get more monet to educate students I only see this as a win win situation after all the doors need to be locked anyway are not doors locked in prisons!!!!!!!
    Agree? or Disagree?


    Dave Rogers

    Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
    respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
    (Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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