<p>Recently I’ve had the opprortunity to read about prisoners going to college and doing yoga. It’s strange how there is no free yoga and college available to regular, hardworking people who haven’t broken the law – but that it is available for those who have. Do you honestly see nothing wrong with that? </p>
<p>Momzie, I see a lot wrong with our legal system. But it isn’t the yoga and college educational programs that makes me concerned. Personally, I would prefer not to pay to incarcerate drug users. The last figure I saw from 2000 was 22% of the prison population were convicted of drug offenses (please don’t throw stones if my numbers are wrong). When you consider that the average cost per prisoner per year is roughly ($20K-$34K) and that price doubles as the prisoner reaches 50, I would rather see those prisoners and the other non-violent prisoners freed. Who knows where that money could be better used (my suggestion would be The Student Loan Crisis).</p>
<p>But if you have prisoners who will be freed at some point, I am amenable to any program that may potentially reduce the recidivism rate. Especially when I don’t always agree on whether the incarceration was appropriate for the non-violent crime. To quote the theists, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.</p>
<p>I was a hardliner on illegal drug sentencing until I started to care for heroin and methamphetamine addicts. IMHO, jail is a gross waste of resources for those patients. Once you eliminate most of the non-violent criminals from the prisons, then you might have my support to eliminate programs for those who may never be freed.</p>
<p>Momzie, I’m guessing you’ve never actually been inside of a prison. I have. They are horrible, horrible places that you wouldn’t want anyone you know and love to spend a single day in. Every move is regimented and watched. The food is bad. The mattresses are bad. The noise is bad. The smell is bad. The idea that education is available to the inmates (who overwhelmingly have absolutely no money to pay for it with) doesn’t strike me as “wrong” at all. The idea that we would ensure that anyone sent to prison could not obtain any education if they are interested and willing to do so would strike me as “wrong.” Perhaps we have different definitions of the term.</p>
<p>As to yoga - I hadn’t heard that, but what does yoga “cost?” Is there something about prison that enables people to do it that “regular, hardworking people” don’t have (besides way too much “free” time, I mean?)</p>
<p>Outside of prison yoga costs in my area run about $15/session. This does not include the cost to get there, park and get back. This is on the relatively cheap end of the spectrum. If you go to the large cities nearby, the costs easily double. One only tends to take yoga classes if one can afford them.</p>
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. Isn’t that the point, to make it uncomfortable so that one would not want to spend time there?</p>
<p>My yoga cost me $20 or so for the dvd I bought years ago and continue to use today. Let’s not forget that prisoners get free healthcare, legal services and of course housing.</p>
<p>*
. Isn’t that the point, to make it uncomfortable so that one would not want to spend time there?
*</p>
<p>How has that worked out?
I think " the point" would be to - pay their debt to society and get to a place where they will re- enter society where they can contribute something positive.
If we just throw them all into a hole, whats the likelihood of that happening when they are released?</p>
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<p>It’s a matter of practicality. If someone can get an education (commonly just a GED) in prison that can help increase their chances of getting a job once they get out and decrease their chances of breaking the law again and going back to prison. The cost of offering this is less than the cost of locking them back up in prison. Prisons are expensive for taxpayers, so offering this is good for everybody. As for college, I don’t know exactly what this is but I highly doubt there’s any prison that’s letting their prisoners out for the day and sending them off to classes at a college with other students. You’re gonna have to provide some source here if this is your claim. </p>
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<p>Inflation adjusted that 38B is 63B in 2009 dollars. And a 20% increase in population would put it at about 75.5B. After that, standard of living and quality of education is expected to increase over time, so it would still be expected to be higher than 75.5B. </p>
<p>Not to say your point isn’t right, but looking at 75.5B compared to 102B is less stark compared to look at 38B compared to 102B. </p>
<p>Perhaps more to the point is the fact that those numbers aren’t even close to being accurate. Higher education funding in 2009 wasn’t $15B, it was less than $11B, based on the source cited as the basis for the data used in the article upon which Dietz relies. (The number at the other end is wrong, too, being closer to $6B in 1990 than $5B) And the real numbers for the overall general fund aren’t 38B to 105B but $40B to $91B. Even the population numbers are wrong. Although it’s hard to compare a constantly changing calendar year number to fiscal years, in 1990 the state population was about 29M, not 30, and in 2009 it was about 37M, not 36. Here’s a link to the primary source (which was actually cited in the article, although the link doesn’t work): <a href=“http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/BS_SCH6.pdf”>http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/BS_SCH6.pdf</a></p>
<p>Summary: Dietz’s point isn’t “right” and I’m willing to say so. Every single number cited by Dietz as proof that “spending is out of control” has been fudged to make it look that way when the reality is the exact opposite. Not one of the numbers cited matches the primary data source from which they are supposedly taken. The reality is that inflation and population adjusted funding for higher education is down not up whether you look at the last 10 years, 20 years, or 35 years… </p>
<p>Another interesting data point from the primary source: The overall spending of the California state government is lower now relative to overall personal income in the state now than it was in 1976 (or any other year in between.) And that’s despite a huge runup in prison costs due to our (since amended) draconian “three strikes.”</p>
<p>I am amazed at the amount of time a lot of people put into this!!! Really, do they really know what they’re talking or are they just blabbing? </p>
<p>Well, Soana63, there’s a saying: “You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.” I consider opinions based on made-up “facts” to be “just blabbing.” And especially on a website focused on education, it seems like facts matter. So I think pointing out the actual facts is worthwhile.</p>
<p>Sure Kluge, I can tell you that I am entitle to my own opinion and there’s one FACT I know, my own. Love :)) </p>
<p>“Recently I’ve had the opprortunity to read about prisoners going to college and doing yoga. It’s strange how there is no free yoga and college available to regular, hardworking people who haven’t broken the law – but that it is available for those who have. Do you honestly see nothing wrong with that?”</p>
<p>Yoga is hardly some kind of luxury. Now, pilates, that’s a different story.</p>
<p>BTW kluge, how many of your own kids you send and paid for college? I’m just wondering</p>
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<p>Perhaps true, but that is a misleading argument, at least to me. California also receives a big chunk of money from Corp taxes, and from the sales tax, not to mention a gazillion fees. A proper argument/comparison would be to use ALL funding sources into the State, which would include federal monies for education…</p>
<p>This:
<a href=“http://bpi.bard.edu/”>http://bpi.bard.edu/</a></p>
<p>I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to send my kids to Bard. How fortunate that if you are maximum security you don’t have to pay – because you can go for free!</p>
<p><a href=“http://prisonyoga.org/”>http://prisonyoga.org/</a></p>
<p>Yoga in our area is about 100 month if you want to go twice a week.</p>
<p>I hear your pain, however that’s a good program for some inmates, I believe</p>
<p>Momzie, did you watch the video in the link you provided?</p>
<p>Anyone with a tv/computer/phone screen can pull up a youtube yoga session. For free, after internet and said screen.</p>