Downsizing Prisons

Downsizing Prisons

Summary: In this article people are talking about whether the government should think about downsizing prisons to save taxpayers and the government money. The reason they are unsure on whether to downsize is because they want to ensure the public is safe if they let these low-risk criminals out. For example, in January of 2007, the prison indicated that they needed 17,000 more prison beds, which would cost around $2 billion dollars. After hearing that, they took another path. Texas lawmakers decided it was best if they adopted a $241 million dollar plan that would strengthen probation and expand the capacity of treatment and supervision. By doing so, the crime rate in Texas ended up dropping 10 percent and that had been the lowest it has been since 1973.

Response: In response, I feel as though the path Texas chose to take was risky but ended up having a positive outcome. I do believe that sometimes the government takes low-risk criminals a little too seriously, but at the same time they aren't going to learn from their mistakes if they don't receive a serious consequence. I do feel as though since taxpayers pay enough taxes, if there is a way the government can reduce the taxes, then they should. If the government does make a change by downsizing prisons, I truly hope that the crime rate will drop, for the safety of the public.