News and Blogs Together

We can't stop our self-impressed, self-absorbed ingestion of substances to divert us from seriousness, and other nations pay the price. Here, we're talking about the way our noses and veins have become the major revenue source for and way out of poverty for the folks on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. . . . CO continues to impress with its vigorous efforts to reverse the financial deadend its corr sent policy has been speeding it toward (h/t Sentencing Law and Policy). But they still have the overcrowded prisons in the here and now, with the problems associated with private prisons and moving inmates out of state. Not surprising that what they're doing will likely turn out counterproductive. Point #1:

Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, condemned the state's recent move of 240 inmates to a private prison in Oklahoma because state prisons are full. She said those inmates will fail because private prisons have a financial incentive for them to repeat their offenses and return. "If you make money off a body in a cell, don't you want repeat customers?" she asked.

Point #2:

Operators of Sayre's prison are willing to take Colorado's inmates for $54 a day, but only the best-behaved and healthiest offenders who don't require costly medical care. Others stay in Colorado.
Prisoners shipped far away from loved ones say they're being punished for good behavior. There is some truth to that complaint, acknowledged DOC officials, who don't like sending offenders out of state.

. . . Grits for Breakfast is doing some great work you should check out on the politics of state judiciary committees and how the “tough on crime’ posturing is abandoned when overseeing the consequences of it threatens to be placed on some policymakers. . . . Trying out the "shopping vouchers for drug addicts" idea in Britain. . . . If you aren't familiar with the issues and arguments, pros and cons, associated with regionalizing jails as a way of dealing with cost problems, then check out this piece as the topic heats up in ME. . . . In MT they're considering changes in their medical marijuana policy . . . to make it more available and easier to get. . . . Finally, Congress is hearing testimony on the feasibility of using MRIs and other imaging techniques to diagnose mental and psychological problems of returning vets. This is a good cause, if it works (no sure thing), but how big a step will it be to turn the use of the methods on accused and offenders, by either prosecution or defense? And once it's done ex post facto, you want to bet it won't be used ex post Minority Report? Haven't written much on this lately, but never forget these two words--TECHNOCORRECTIONS.