EDUCATION VS. INCARCERATION

With the approval of Senate Bill 1367 this year, Columbus, Green and Bertie
counties will now give land to the state for the construction of more prisons.

Last year, our governor signed a contract to pay hundreds of millions to
build three new prisons that are under construction now, giving our state a
total of 81 prisons. The money was borrowed from an out-of-state lender and
the contract awarded to an out-of-state builder.

Also, our governor has challenged Judge Howard Manning's constitutional
court order: That our state must invest in our at-risk students.

This challenge being at the same time as the approval of hundreds of
millions for prison construction should raise questions in every moral and
ethical mind.

Statistics show that our existing prisons are now above capacity with
nonviolent, petty and simple drug offenders due to the overzealous
prosecution of nonviolent habitual felons and structured sentencing.

The facts alone present the question. Do we sincerely need even more
prisons while dramatically cutting education, or could we more
appropriately utilize our existing prisons?

The assurance we have from these facts is that our at-risk students of
today are guaranteed an institution of learning tomorrow. Prisons!

Lonnie Rochelle

Lumberton