What Can We Do About Incarceration Rates?

[qwlauren35]

15. Capacity... actually they can.

As long as states have the money, they can ship prisoners to Texas and other states that have privately run prisons. The states then pay the private prisons to house and care for the prisons. The question of capacity goes away... and it comes down to money.

I think you're right. Lobbying. But I also think that it has to be very specific/solution oriented. A lot of people (hmm... maybe not!) know that it costs over $20,000 to house a prisoner, and that its paid for by taxpayers. But they are not able to let go of the sense of "get those people off the streets - they are Bad." I don't want to change the laws on the books, just the sentencing policies.