BUDGET WOES MEAN PRISONER PAROLES

Budget concerns mean crazy things for Texas. One of these crazy plans
deals with releasing people from prison in order to save the state
some money.

"Texas lawmakers have been discussing the possibility of releasing
more nonviolent prisoners early to help the state deal with a
projected $15 billion budget shortfall," according to the Houston Chronicle.

The implication of releasing non-violent prisoners is something that
should be given a lot of thought. Depending upon how long of a
sentence they have already served, some of these people may get parole
and then immediately return to their criminal ways. Others whom have
served sentences of various lengths may be unfit for society after
their prison experience.

Many of these non-violent offenders are serving time for drug-related
offenses. We should be asking what the effects would be of releasing
potentially drug-addicted people back into society.

The same question should be applied to prisoners that are serving for
crimes like driving while intoxicated, theft of property and scam
artists. Serving time in jail has never been a cure for criminal
behavior, and allowing prisoners to come back into society afterward
doesn't fix the problem.

Texas lawmakers should instead think of different approaches -- ones
that wouldn't just cycle criminals to fix state budgetary problems.
They could increase state revenue if they amended certain laws so that
some criminal activities resulted in significant fines instead of
sending people to prison.

Since the rise of the debate on legalizing marijuana, many studies
have found that by decriminalizing, states could reap billions in tax
revenue. Similar things could be done for other nonviolent crimes.

People often forget that keeping people in prison costs the state
significant amounts of money. The Texas prison system is also
overwhelmed with inmates, which results in the state spending more
money to employ the workers of these prisons.

Another concern is what happens to the foreign prisoners who occupy
our jails throughout Texas.

Granting these people parole doesn't guarantee that once they're
deported they no longer become a threat or a problem. Much of the
criminal activity that lands these people in prison is hard to escape
from, and for some it is all they know.

The time spent in prison isn't exactly the most helpful thing for them
once they're let go.

If jobs are tough to find, and a criminal record makes finding one
even harder, doesn't this sound idiotic or counterintuitive?

Releasing people from jail because they no longer seem dangerous
sounds more like a disguised way of saying we can't afford to imprison
these people or care for them in prison so to the streets they go.

This is far from a well-thought-out solution.