Pew Study Says States Could Save Money on Corrections

Locking up Americans too expensive

Crime is taking a bite out of state budgets.

A report from the Pew Center on the States says there are twice as many adults in the corrections system now than there were 25 years ago.

That amounts to a big chunk of state budgets. The report says changing sentencing laws and probation programs would lower incarceration rates and save states money.

Changing the rules

Adam Gelb, director of the Center’s Public Safety Performance Project, agrees that keeping certain criminals locked up might not be worth it. As states are relying on quick loans from the government to get by, they should consider changing corrections tactics.

“Violent and career criminals need to be locked up, and for a long time. But our research shows that prisons are housing too many people who can be managed safely and held accountable in the community at far lower cost,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that The United States has the highest incarceration rate and the biggest prison population of any country.

A costly punishment

State spending on criminal justice has gone up 300 percent in the last 20 years. It’s the fastest-growing area of spending after Medicaid. Gelb says states that spend more than others do so because of policies rather than crime rates.

“The huge differences between states are mostly due not to crime trends, or social and economic forces. The rates are different mostly because of choices that the states have made about how they respond to crime,” he said. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Pew Study Says States Could Save Money on Corrections "