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Gainesville Sun: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
The Gainesville Sun penned an editorial today thats worth a read.
"Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a bill that gives the state the option of exporting inmates to out-of-state prisons in the event that Florida's own penal system gets too crowded.
"Call it the out-of-sight, out-of-mind bill.
"Whatever you call it, it's a terrible idea. It diffuses state accountability and it hinders rehabilitation by removing prisoners ever further from the possibility of contact with family members.
"Here's a better idea.
"Stop investing in new prison cells and start investing in things that will keep people out of prisons: Job training, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and the like."
This is similar to what Worst To First advocates for: investing in children by ensuring every child has access to a good school and adequate healthcare now so that they don't end up incarcerated later. In fact, Florida is 48th in the nation in juvenile incarceration rates, partially because we don't invest in education. In real terms, more than 450 per 100,000 children aged 10 years and up in Florida are incarcerated.
It's an interesting editorial, raising some worthwhile questions.
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