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August 16, 2003

Republican recipe: more prisons, less schools

Remember: in Florida, prisoners almost never get their voting rights back.

From the SP Times:

Lawmakers will even let Corrections Secretary Jim Crosby go on a building spree without competitive bids. That means he doesn't have to accept the lowest price offered, and rival companies can't appeal his selection. Crosby says bidding slows everything down.

Crosby and his boss, Gov. Jeb Bush, were both unhappy that legislators cut the corrections budget during the regular session. Now, they say, a recent spike in prison admissions has pushed the inmate population close to capacity.

But nobody can explain the reason for the increase. Is it the start of a trend or a short-term aberration?

Many new inmates are doing time for drug offenses, according to the Criminal Justice Estimating Conference, and more than half come from five counties: Hillsborough, Polk, Escambia, Volusia and Leon.

Is it a coincidence that drug crimes are surging after a series of cuts in drug treatment, juvenile crime prevention and probation?

Posted by Norwood at August 16, 2003 09:21 AM
Comments

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