AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION

Many of us have been the victims of some type of crime in the past. Whether it is your car being stolen or your house broken into, it cost us time and money to replace the things that we lost. All of us want those responsible to pay for their crimes. Today the prisons in Oklahoma are completely full and the Department of Corrections must rely upon county jails to house their prisoners until room is available. In the upcoming session of the state legislature, the prison issue will be an important issue that will be before our legislators.

Currently, the Department of Corrections has 24,845 total beds in Oklahoma at full capacity. DOC is requesting 4,329 new beds including replacing some of the old beds for fiscal year 2009.  The new beds would be paid through a $309.5 million bond package combination paid off in five, 10 and 25 years. This would require an estimated $24 million annual appropriation for debt service starting in 2009.

The cost to house the convicts and the cost to the victims of the crimes they commit is spiraling out of control. It is similar to treating a disease instead of using a vaccine to prevent it in the first place. I recently read a study by the Criminal Justice Resource Center, 51 percent of Oklahoma felonies are directly related to drug use. When people become addicted to drugs they will do anything to get them. That is the reason why there is so much theft, stealing and selling stolen property is one of the quickest way to satisfy that craving. The sad fact is as an addict’s addiction progresses, he or she must keep increasing the dosage in order to satisfy their need.