NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Since President Obama decided not to take my advice, maybe I'll have better luck offering some to Asa Hutchinson. Even though I didn't vote for the guy, he is going to be my Governor, and it's in my best interest that he be successful. With the Legislature he's going to be stuck with, he needs all of the help he can get.
One of the biggest problems facing Hutchinson, besides the private option, is what to do with all of the prison inmates we have. This isn't just an Arkansas problem. It's a sad irony that in a country that champions freedom, we have the highest percentage of persons incarcerated of any industrialized nation. But since the people in Washington don't want my help, I'll stick to Arkansas.
The two solutions to prison overcrowding most talked about are building a new prison, or sending our prisoners to other states or private correction facilities. Building a new prison would be the most expensive solution, and it's not likely to be popular with a Governor who ran on a small government, low tax platform. Paying other states or private contractors to house our inmates would be cheaper, and an immediate solution, but it would be the equivalent of putting a band aid on a broken leg. It would treat the problem, but do nothing to solve it.
There's a third option that would be less expensive than either of those ideas, would solve some other problems, and makes a whole lot of sense. Obviously that means it will never be tried, but I'll throw it out there anyway in the slight hope that Hutchinson might just happen to read this edition of the Democrat-Tribune.
We need to completely change the way we deal with non-violent drug offenders, especially those incarcerated for simple possession on a small amount of drugs. These people are criminals technically, but more importantly, they are addicts. They should get treatment, not punishment.
We should set up a state wide system of drug courts just to handle these types of cases. Even if it means we need more judges, it will save money in the long run. Instead of sending these people to prison, they would be sent to rehab, where they would stay until the counselors there judged them ready to face the world drug free. That would free up lots of prison cells for the people who really should be in them, like murderers, rapists, pedophiles, or members of the Legislature.
Sending an addict to prison makes no sense. He gets no help for his problem, so when he gets out he's most likely to go back to drugs, and end up back in prison. Rehab is no magic cure, but at least there an addict has a chance to get what he needs and not return to state custody once he is released.
Another benefit to drug courts is that they would lower the caseload of the criminal courts. That would mean that prosecutors would be more likely to take the people accused of the crimes above to trial where a jury is likely to give them a nice long sentence in one of those now open cells instead of making a plea agreement.
So there you go Mister Governor-elect. I've given you a way to cut prison overcrowding, saved your promised tax cut, and put some really bad people away for a long time. Don't thank me, just do what the President should have--take my advice.
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