Florida: Correction's V. Education | Teen Ink

Florida: Correction's V. Education

January 11, 2009
By Anonymous

America is in a crazed tornado of using citizens taxes and government
funds for the wrong priorities, which digs an even deeper grave for the
United States to work their way up and out of.


Florida, at the moment is not as known for its theme parks, but
for its substantial shortfall of $2.3 billion in the Florida budget.
Now, what are we really investing that amount of money into?

Did you know...
That the Department of Correction's hit 100,000 inmates
and by midnight was at 100,108 according to department
computer records. Making it only the third state in the nation
to break into six digits after California and Texas.
Florida's prison population roughly equals almost all the
citizen's of Gainesville, Fl home of the University of Florida.
Due to the crowding the state as purchased and begun
setting up tents to house inmates.
If all the tents were set up and filled, the state would be
able to house 1,200.

Though some say this is wrong treatment for individuals
who have committed crimes they need to recall the 1977
Costello V. Wainwright case when tents were among the
measures adopted by Florida to tackle overcrowding,
which was ruled unconstitutional.

Department of corrections Secretary Walter Mcneil told
law makers ' that if growth shows me no signs of stopping
the state will have to build 19 new prisons in the next
five years to house inmates if nothing is done to slow
prison growth'. He said he estimated the cost at $ 1.9
billion, nearly equal to the departments current annual budget
of approximately $2 billion.
The corrections department is under pressure to trim its
budget, so it seems they've turned to $9,000 tents.

Yet it's a punishment the state still has to accommodate for faiths and food preferences not including recreation and cigarettes.
Until April 2008 when enrollment was halted, the corrections department had a Jewish Dietary Accommodation Program. Providing meals to not only
Jews but to Muslim's as well.
And the department has suspended use of pork products in an attempt
to appease religious adherents, but will continue to serve vegetarian and
vegan meals...

While it seems the exact shortage of $2.3 billion is the
yearly budget of the corrections...?

Florida schools in Lake County are already estimated to
have as high as $15.5 million on top of the cuts made this
school year. An almost certainly would need to cut jobs,
since about 85 percent of its budget goes for salaries and benefits.
They are contemplating using a different kind of light bulb, even
cutting courtesy busing for kids that live fewer than 2 miles from
school.

According to Carol Mclead districts chief financial officer.
Between decreases in property taxes and state funding,
Lake County could loose $15.3 million to $20 million
next school year.

Now I didn't write this to convince you that one is more
important than the other or where the government should spend
the bigger percentage of its funding I'll just leave that up
to you...?


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