Look Beyond Juvenile Justice and Close Unneeded Adult Prisons, Too

In a smart, no-nonsense editorial last week, Newsday expressed support for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's push to reform the juvenile justice system in New York ("An incarceration program is not an employment program," he said in his State of the State address). But it also put much-needed focus on unneeded capacity in the adult criminal justice system, which LAC Vice President Anita R. Marton lauded in a letter to the editor submitted today:

It’s about time that attention is paid to the need for closing dysfunctional and under-used juvenile facilities – but, as you wisely point out, we should not lose sight of the fact that the adult prison system, too, is wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars with unneeded capacity. The dramatic reduction in prison population is due in no small part to the success of New York's alternative to incarceration and reentry programs, the largest such network in the country. By supporting these programs, New York – unlike the other largest states, California, Texas and Florida – has seen crime and incarceration rates plummet simultaneously, saving many millions of dollars. The money saved from closing unneeded prisons could be used to reduce the deficit and pay for essential services – and to reinvest in ATI and reentry programs to help ensure that these trends, in public safety and savings, continue.

Read the original column here and voice your support for closing unneeded prisons!