PRISON FUNDING IS MONEY BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE

A new federal study underscores what Oklahomans already know but have done
little to change: The state has one of the highest incarceration rates in
the nation. The U.S. Department of Justice study had one bright spot:
Oklahoma is one of a few states reporting recent declines in inmate
populations.

Only Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have higher incarceration rates.

And the state still has the highest female incarceration rate in the country.

Oklahoma is well known for its strong law-and-order attitudes. But it's
likely that not everyone in prison should be there. Many nonviolent drug
offenders should be treated rather than punished.

There are moves in that direction. There are some new drug courts, for
example. The thousands of women in prison, many of them mothers, might
benefit from rehabilitation programs.

But until the lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key philosophy changes,
Oklahoma will continue to throw hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars a
year into corrections -- money better spent on countless other needs.