How to Pay for Healthcare?

Why not revamp the prison system?

Currently, the US incarcerates at nearly 5 times the world average. According to one study, 82% of those people were convicted of nonviolent crimes. California spends 27 times more on each inmate in the juvenile justice system than on each student in the Oakland school system.

Under the "three strikes" law, an inmate in CA is serving a life term for stealing a pair of socks. His earlier crimes were for abetting robbery at age 19. Not an upstanding citizen, but not a menace to society either.

Does the US just harbor more criminals than other areas? Their incarceration rates were pretty similar to the rest of the world's until the War on Drugs changed things. Maybe it's time to rethink our policy on drugs. Send users to rehab, not jail. The users filling up our jails now aren't the problem anyway. It's the dealers. Should some drugs be legalized? That's why they legalized alcohol again after prohibition - to slow down organized crime.

Then maybe we'll have more money to educate our children and pay for healthcare!

What do you think?

Comments: 11

Larry M. Aug 21, 2009, 3:20pm EDT

Get rid of the War on Drugs and release those non-violent drug offenders and we save a huge amount of money, lives, and misery.

April H. Aug 24, 2009, 11:43am EDT

Agreed!

April H. Aug 24, 2009, 11:44am EDT

Mexico just legalized "personal use amounts" of a large variety of drugs.

Larry M. Aug 24, 2009, 11:48am EDT

I think it will help ease their problem but the drug cartels in Mexico get most of their money and resources from the U.S. If we were to do the same thing it would help them even more.

Until these drugs are legal, though, (like prescription drugs), we can't expect major changes.

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Jennifer R. Aug 21, 2009, 4:13pm EDT

This is another institution that needs a lot more scrutiny then it gets. Good point.

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Kat W. Aug 21, 2009, 4:40pm EDT

Legalize drugs.

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Joanne Vicente Aug 21, 2009, 5:58pm EDT

You are so right! Under Bush, many of the rehab and mental facilities were closed down, and people there were sent to prison, too. There should also be limits taken off appeals after all the inmates that have been released after 20 or 30 years because they were not guilty after all, but they'd run out of appeals to keep fighting their cases, so they were just wearhoused for years and years! Legislators have taken the sentences on, which should be left to the judiciary, so people are in with mandatory sentences, instead of each case being judged on its own merits -- not right by any means!

April H. Aug 24, 2009, 11:45am EDT

Very true!

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Lori Cee Aug 21, 2009, 10:07pm EDT

i think there are 1 or 2 drugs that could stand to be legalized.

April H. Aug 24, 2009, 11:45am EDT

Me too!

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Marilyn is looking for whatever there is. N. Aug 24, 2009, 7:05pm EDT

Hi,
I think that there are many drugs, especially prescription drugs that would be much less money and could be legalized, with no trouble at all.
For what they pay for one inmate here in CT, a non-violent offender? Stealing socks? Give me a few, I'll let them stay here and only charge half the price, anyone else? Seriously, that's ridiculous!
Marilyn

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How to Pay for Healthcare?

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