PRISON

It's sad that Dunedin prison is becoming regularly overloaded, with the
number of remand and sentenced prisoners exceeding the number of beds
available (ODT 19-June 2003). Particularly since the majority of these
inmates will be minor criminals and drug offenders.

New Zealand has the highest rate of imprisonment in the West after the
U.S., and our government is building more prisons. A growing prison
population is a sign of an unhealthy society. More attention should be
paid to preventing people from going there in the first place.

It costs around $53,000 per year to keep someone in jail. It makes more
social and economic sense to invest this money in education, families and
communities. Conditions inside prisons often serve to corrupt and harden
minor offenders, making them a greater risk than when they were imprisoned.

Prison should be a last desperate measure to keep people safe. There are
already far too many people behind bars who don't have to be there.

Yours,

Duncan Eddy