Today John Lynch signed a bill which is intended to reduce the prison population by 18%. Was this law enacted to stop caging human beings like animals who commit various victimless acts? No, we could only wish the government would be so compassionate.
The law was drafted, argued for, and enacted because it stands a chance of saving the state up to $11,000,000 over a five year period. Caging humans like a stray dog costs money, you know. The state prison population has increased %31 and the corrections budget has doubed from $52 million to $104 million over the last ten years..
Although I wish the motivations for this change were for reasons that I (and many of you) wish they were for, I am happy to report that it appears less human beings will be ending up caged like animals in our one-day-freer-state.
John Lynch said (on his website) regarding the law: “Violent felons belong in prison, and some criminals (victimless crimes) should and will stay in prison the rest of their lives. But most people who enter New Hampshire’s prison system will complete their sentence and be released back into the community at some point. These reforms will make New Hampshire safer, and save taxpayers money by working to ensure that released offenders become productive members of our society, do not commit new crimes and do not return to prison.”
Oh…Â and you gotta just love the title they gave this new reform: The Justice Reinvestment Act
