A Correlation Between Prison Funding and Public Safety

Source: 
Budget Cuts Must Lead to Innovation in Corrections

Summary: 
The article gives information on the cost of imprisonment, and on budget cuts that have been made in the corrections industry. The information presented reveals that cutting correctional staff positions and inmate food supplies during budget cuts, can result in prison staff to work in more dangerous conditions. The author suggests that driving focus towards funding reentry programs is necessary when trying to lower recidivism. This would also trigger a drop in prison costs and overcrowding with time, subsequently increasing public safety.

Quality:
The author, Diane B. Williams, has an impressive amount of authority to support the claims made in this article. According to the whitehouse.gov website's information, the author has received national recognition as a "Champion of Change," for her 20 years of "experience working with the criminal justice population." She has also been elected "Chairman of the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board" and was named "President and Chief Executive Officer of The Safer Foundation."
The Safer Foundation is an organization that provides services to people who have been and who are currently incarcerated. These services aid in lowering recidivism rates and restoring livelihoods upon reentry.

Issues: 
The article states that some reentry programs that contribute to lowered recidivism rates have been terminated because of prison funding budget cuts. The article does not state if other interests are being funded instead of prisons. The author does present facts to support claims made in the article, but the figures are from various locations, in multiple states across the United States. If the data presented were to include national figures, her argument would have been more convincing in showing that a degree of change could be achieved on a larger scale.

Quotes:
"According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of the 2.3 million incarcerated, approximately 51.8 percent (1,191,400) of those are people who have recidivated."

"The Urban Institute also reported that beyond offsetting costs, a non-contracted reentry program with even a moderate level of success could be expected to return anywhere from $4.40 to $9 in social benefits for every $1 that is invested."

"Ninety-seven percent of the people that come under correctional supervision will eventually be released. Whatever happens behind those walls -- good and bad -- has an indelible impact not just on the individual but also on our society and our economy."

Key Words and Phrases: 
correctional institutions, prisons, finance, budget deficits, cost effectiveness, taxpayer money, rehabilitation, reentry programs, economic aspects, social benefits, recidivism,

Source Link:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=2c1dacda-0de0-4996-a66a-290f1085a787%40sessionmgr4001&vid=3&hid=4201&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=48500559

https://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/drug-control/diane-williams

Works Cited:
Williams, B. Diane. "Budget Cuts Must Lead to Innovation in Corrections." Corrections Today Dec. 2009: 6+. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

"Diane Williams." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.