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An 'unrepentant, hard-right conservative' was 'forced to agree' with prison diversion 'based on the facts'

Former House Corrections Committee Chairman Ray Allen had this to say about cutting corrections budgets in light of the coming 2011 budget crunch faced by the Texas Legislature:That 2003 budget cutting of probation, parole and treatment programs backfired.Yes, the cuts helped balance the budget in 2003-4, but they led to significantly expanded spending in subsequent years in the most costly category of criminal justice spending--prison beds. 2003's cuts saved nickels in that budget cycle, but forced future spending of millions. Allen recalls that the 2003session was brutal, and despite my objections, the legislature slashed the criminal justice budget by cutting corrections expenditures in every category other than prisons. Within a year, the prison system exceeded its capacity and began leasing beds from county jails to house a flood of new inmates...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 10, 2010 (boomark / email).