What will the consequences of the 18 billion dollar budgetary shortfall be on the Texas Criminal Justice System. Texas incarcerates a lot of people. Sometimes a minor drug offender may end up spending a year in some kind of prison or jail. Conservatives are complaining about government programs that keep on getting bigger and bigger. Well, they should take a look at the criminal justice system. Every two years, the legislature makes more and more things illegal. Over the years, Texas has filled its prison system up with more and more people depriving more and more people of their freedom. As a society, we are going to have to figure out something mroe productive to do with these people. Prison is only appropriate for people who pose a danger to themselves or others. There are other options for low level offenders.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is going to have to start letting non-violent offenders out of prison to make room for people who truly need to be in prison. There are ankle monitors and even scram devices that can monitor when someone has had a drink of alcohol. These alternatives to incarceration need to be explored. The principal goal of the criminal justice system should be to rehabilitate as many people as possible.
Like most other government programs the criminal justice system has become too big. We have to ask our selves whether we want to live in a society that incarcerates so many people. After all, people are not that different than they were fifty years ago. People are not committing more crime now than they did in the past. Yet, we are incarcerating so many more people. The difference is that government spending on the criminal justice system has sky rocketed just like every other government program.
David Breston is a Texas Parole attorney. If you or someone you love, needs help with a Houston parole revocation, call David Breston at 713 224 4040.
