Pubdate: Sun, 16 May 2004 Source: Arizona Republic (AZ) Copyright: 2004 The Arizona Republic Contact: http://www.arizonarepublic.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Author: Kirk Muse Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n716/a05.html INVEST IN EDUCATION, NOT PRISONS Regarding the article Wednesday, "Prison-sentence reform urged." The United States is the most incarcerated nation on the planet and in history. Even though we have less than 5 percent of the world's population, we in the U. S. have more than 25 percent of the world's prisoners. In other words, one out of every four prisoners in the world in locked in an American jail or prison. Is this something we should be proud of? I think not. And generally the more a state spends on prisons, the less that state will spend on education. As an example, Louisiana spends the most per capita on prisons and the least per capita on education. On the other hand, Minnesota spends the most per capita on education, and the least per capita on prisons. Prisons and education compete for the same limited tax resources. Which is the better investment, education or prisons? Kirk Muse Mesa - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake