Pubdate: Tue, 02 Jun 2015
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2015 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Elena Bost

VOTE FOR MORE SCHOOLS, NOT MORE PRISONS

HERE WE GO again. It seems as if every town, large and small, is 
either enlarging its detention center or building a new one. This 
will cost lots and lots of money.

For many years, we built prisons at a frantic pace as they make more 
money. Now the Department of Corrections tells us they are going to 
focus more on education inside the prisons.

Most people don't know that it costs $30,000 or more to keep one 
person in prison for a year in New Mexico. I believe the last figure 
says it costs about $7,000 to educate a child. This seems to show we 
would really lock more people up than to educate them.

Now the truth is there will always be a few in our society who must 
be kept in prison for the safety of others.

Another thing most don't know is that a young person will get a 
longer prison sentence as an adult for the exact same crime. What 
gives? Could it be about money instead of our personal safety?

Most young people go to prison for using drugs but adults seem to use 
them just as much. I have studied this issue for many years.

Marijuana is much safer than whiskey, but people don't want to 
believe that. Marijuana makes people sleepy and sometimes lazy. 
Whiskey makes many people mean.

People always jump in line to pass a bond to build a prison or 
detention center but balk when ask for more funding for schools.

ELENA BOST Deming
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom