Pubdate: Tue, 23 Apr 2002
Source: Joplin Globe, The (MO)
Copyright: 2002 The Joplin Globe
Contact:  http://www.joplinglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/859
Author: Steve Goebel

THE WRONG LESSON

There is an obvious solution to the concerns of prosecutors, who 
worry that judges may not allow them to force sexual predators into 
mental health facilities once their prison terms expires. Why don't 
they provide them with mental health treatment while they are in 
prison?

It costs $40,000 a year to warehouse an inmate. Do the math. To 
warehouse just one prisoner for 40 years costs the taxpayers 
$1,600,000. If our intention is to confine these degenerates in our 
prison system for 40 years with no psychological treatment, where 
they have easy access to younger, weaker inmates that have no place 
to run and hide, then the least we can do is take them to the vet and 
have Rover turned into Lassie.

Americans spend a huge amount of money to warehouse drug addicts, but 
very little to treat their addiction. Once they are out of prison 
they immediately start using again, get re-arrested and we pay to 
warehouse them again.

We pay a higher price for our short-sighted thinking, that focuses 
more on getting tough than on getting results.

There is an old story by Mark Twain about a cat that sat on a hot 
stove. He never sat on a hot stove again, but he never sat on a cold 
stove, either.

Prisoners often learn the wrong lesson from their incarceration. They 
believe that their mistake was getting caught, not their behavior. 
They score an F on their report card for slow learners. And we score 
an F as poor teachers.

Steve Goebel - Joplin
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MAP posted-by: Josh