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Dec. 14, 2005 According to the Spokesman-Review (December 6, 2005), the estates of two people who prosecutors allege were killed by Joseph Edward Duncan sued Becker County, Minnesota for releasing Duncan a few weeks before Brenda Groene and Mark McKenzie were slain in their Idaho home. The families of those who were killed in this incident state that Becker County was negligent in releasing Duncan on a minimal bail amount. Most people would applaud the families of the deceased for attempting to pin the blame on the “gatekeeper” who allowed Duncan to go free. However, those same people who applaud the fact that the county is being held responsible also turn out to be the biggest hindrance to keeping people like Duncan behind bars. Why? Simply because they are unwilling to cough up the money necessary for the expansion of prisons needed to house the growing number of criminals. Across American counties and cities are having to make hard decisions – decisions on which criminals to let out, and which to go free. Earlier this year Portland, Oregon let several hundred prisoners out onto the streets since they did not have the facilities to house their entire jail load. Bend, Oregon faced the same situation, and turned many prisoners out to their early freedom. The Deschutes County Sheriff worried who of the group he had to decide to let go free would turn out to harm someone in Bend. Idaho faces a similar problem. According to the Idaho Statesman, when the Idaho Maximum Security Prison was built in 1989, it housed about 345 prisoners. Now, it is home to about 557, or 101 percent of the prison's recommended 552-person maximum safe capacity. Everyone has a bed, but there is not enough space to separate prisoners to defuse situations, said Warden John Hardison, and three of the prison's 18 death-row inmates share cells with other prisoners. "Everybody is double-bunked, double-cell," said Hardison, standing in cell block J and gesturing toward an 8-by-10 cell with a bunk-bed, clear television set, German dictionary and uncovered toilet inside. Cell block J is home to the prison's most violent offenders. "Usually this level of close custody is single-cell. That's probably the single biggest threat to our officers' safety." But Hardison said his main concern is losing correctional officers who are paid less than their counterparts in county jails and neighboring states. "No. 1 would be staffing the overcrowding ... staying fully staffed," Hardison said of the department's correctional officers, who start at $11.53 and hour and had a turnover rate of more than 23 percent in 2005. "They're getting very good credentials and being recruited by some other agencies." Criminals being dumped onto the street and those that remain in jail being watched less due to small jail staff size is a recipe for trouble. What is the answer? Perhaps we are at the point where more direct funding needs to go to jailing and watching the criminals. Most correction budgets have been cut to the bone in many states and cutting more is the wrong answer. Certainly if there is fat in a prison budget, if prisoners are living in semi-luxury, further cutting may be needed. But these are the exceptions to the rule and most correctional institutions desperately need more dollars. If the public wants to stay safe and sane, it may be time to ante up and provide the corrections departments with the property, plant and personnel to do so. ------------ About the author: Dwayne Hines currently has 12 books selling in major bookstores and writes for major magazines such as Physical and FitnessRX. Email Dwayne Hines: dhines@cpu-net.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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