Focus on prison safety, not savings

State government in Florida, much like the citizens it serves, is facing yet another difficult budget year. The legislature is leaving no stone unturned as it tries to find ways to reduce government spending in order to balance the budget. In fact, over the last three years state spending has been reduced by over $7 billion.
Considering the budget cuts that have already been implemented the legislature does not have an easy task this year.
The budget debate has now turned to the costs of running our state prisons. The Senate recently approved an amendment to the budget to close three correctional facilities and transfer the inmates in those facilities to a privately operated institution. It is believed that using the private facility could save the state $20 million in operating expenses. There is another $100 million in estimated savings by eliminating 1,300 currently vacant prison jobs.
As with any budget savings proposal there is a debate about the actual savings, as well as the policy implications, of the proposed cuts. It appears that moving inmates to a private facility will result in the closing of three prisons which are currently in operation. This in turn will cause as many as 1,400 prison guards to lose their jobs thus adding to Florida’s unemployment numbers. There is no doubt that there will be a social cost to closing state run prisons. Our unemployment numbers will go up, as will the demand for social services by the families of those that will lose their job. For that reason alone it is difficult, at best, to justify the closure of three state run prisons.
Equally troubling is the possible “trickle down” effect of this change which could lead to the closure of six state-run facilities and the relocation of 6,000 inmates. The Secretary of the Department of Corrections believes this may lead to the early release of as many as 2,500 prisoners.
Thus, beyond the debate about potential savings and potential social costs there is another important issue to consider — the safety of the citizens of Florida. Government’s first and foremost responsibility is to ensure your safety. Consequently, the debate about prison closings cannot be about savings alone — the issue of citizen safety must be at the forefront of the discussion. The potential early release of 2,500 prisoners would certainly reduce the safety of our citizens. Such an outcome is not acceptable.
There is another reason to question this proposed change. When someone is convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison — it is a punishment being carried out on behalf of the citizens of Florida by state officials.
It is society’s way of saying “you broke the public compact and now you will be punished.” There is something lost in the process when the responsibility for carrying out that punishment gets shifted from state officials to corporate employees. The whole process shifts from a focus on “crime and punishment” to a focus on “profits and loses” — that is wrong.
We must continue to look for ways to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money. However, the proposal to close state-run prisons focuses too much on possible savings and not enough on the safety of the citizens of Florida.