No Money for Safety Nets But Plenty For Prisons ---

[defendandprotect]

Money for Prisons, Not for Social Services
By Haider Rizvi

NEW YORK, Sep 16, 2010 (IPS) - Many of those who have lost their jobs and homes in the United States due to the lingering economic recession are ending up in jail, according to a new study released by an independent think tank Thursday.

There is a strong link between poverty and incarceration in the United states, according to the report, "Money Well Spent: How positive social investments will reduce incarceration rates", by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI).

The report's findings on the relationship between poverty and the justice system suggests that more and more people from poor and low-income communities are being arrested and jailed, even though nationwide, crime rates have fallen.

"What we have seen in this research is that there is less focus on safety for the poor and more on policing and arrests," Tracy Velázquez, executive director of the Washington-based JPI, told IPS.


http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52868

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Prisoners get three meals a day, clothes, a roof over their heads, health care..

and even education if they choose...
Isn't it a sad commentary on this country that there are poor people out there, homeless people, who would have better quality of life if they were in prison?? :cry: :grr:

[defendandprotect]

2. Are you suggesting the homeless would be better off in our prisons??

Those are two false choices -- both of which sound rather un-American to me!

We need to end this prison industrial complex which is a threat to all Americans --

AND, end homelessness in America --

That means ending corporate-fascism and ridding ourselves of all elected officials

supporting corporatism!

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Not suggesting that at all. I am stating a fact. Many prisoners have a better quality of life

than the poor & homeless because THEY are given support that the poor and the homeless are denied. No "entitlements" for the homeless or the poor!!!

[arbusto_baboso]

6. In California, prisoners have better access to libraries than kids do.

And this is very important, because not everyone has a computer, you know.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Sad, frustrating and totally wrong...They just cut back on Public Library hours here in NYC

[defendandprotect]

10. But prisoners are still in prison .... I think you have to stop overlooking that reality!

Think you'd enjoy you library privileges and computer time while you wait in prison?

We need to end this prison industrial complex -- and the privatization which is

enriching some at the cost of increased surveillance and a phony Drug War!!

[defendandprotect]

9. However, you are still in prison .... which you don't see to be acknowledging...???

Who knows what the food is?
Do you think you'd sleep well in prison?
Shower, exercise -- whatever -- no guarantees of anything in prison --
and as our prisons are being PRIVATIZED I'd say everything is in question.

[rustydog]

4. well duh! Where is the profit margin in welfare, unemployment?

Come on!

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, defendandprotect.

[Jkid]

7. Prisons...

They're just too profitable...

[bobbolink]

12. Privatization wins again!

:nuke:

[jmondine]

11. Of course. Locking people up is macho. Helping them is not.