Saw where our County Commissioners have nixed the idea of spending $28M to build a new jail and good for them. (I did a post back when this was first approved about my buddy Robert Willey writing a letter to the Enterprise questioning the wisdom of such a move.) Jail overcrowding is a problem that has huge costs. (One theory is that privatizing jail operations has had the unintended consequence of incentivizing operators to keep them full and maximize their income.) For related story click here.
Then I saw this story about 5 senior dudes who are currently in jail doing life sentences without parole for selling pot click here . Led me to believe that maybe we could solve this jail overcrowding problem not by building more jails, but by loosening up on our tendency to incarcerate folks extended periods of time for nonviolent crimes such as pot possession. Two states have legalized pot completely and 15 others have legalized it for medicinal purposes. Time to put this behind us and lighten up don’t you think?
That’s my soap box issue for today. Tomorrow, I’ll return to planning a Redskins/Cowboys’ pregame party this Sunday at Buzzy’s Country Store.