The state of Florida ranked second to last in a survey of what 45 states spend on incarcerating juveniles.
Florida spends $55,407 annually on each of its jailed youths. That number seems like a lot, but it was actually the second lowest, behind Louisiana, of all states surveyed.
Fifty-five thousand dollars to lock up a juvenile for a year. Holy Cow! And that’s low!!! What a huge industry!According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary in Florida is $41,140. So it costs about 25% more to incarcerate a kid than most people make.!
And how about the other costs? The article continues to say that, “The long-term costs of incarcerating youth, the study said, include fewer tax dollars collected from young people who earn lower wages after being convicted, and creating a greater dependence on government assistance and higher rates of recidivism. The authors said research shows the experience of being jailed increases the likelihood that young people will commit a new offense, rather than deterring such behavior. And while a 2008 survey of 9,000 sampled youth nationwide showed that 67 percent finished high school, only 32 percent of convicted youth and 18 percent of confined youth ever graduated.”
Alright… so it’s super-expensive, doesn’t reduce recidivism and has long-term collateral consequences to the children.
Next,A lawsuit filed by four prison investigators claims Florida’s prison system is badly mismanaged and the results have been deadly.
From the Miami Herald:The four filed a federal whistle-blower complaint on Monday alleging that state prisoners were beaten and tortured, that guards smuggled in drugs and other contraband in exchange for money and sexual favors, and that guards used gang enforcers to control the prison population. They claim those actions were either tacitly approved or covered up. (A Department of Justice survey estimated that 4.8 percent of incarcerated youth were forced to engage in non-consensual sexual activity while jailed, with rates even higher for young prisoners moved into the adult system.)
This article appearing in yesterday’s
Sun Sentinel, which ironically highlights the heinous atrocities going on in Florida’s prison system provides some insight into why this is allowed to happen… “Florida has the third-largest prison agency in the country, employing one in seven state workers at an annual budget of $2.3 billion — roughly double what state taxpayers put up for public colleges.”
So it’s money!!! Money is what motivates our government to create a climate of fear, where we, as a society, don’t care about warehousing our State’s children and abusing them in multiple ways, even though we know that the money would be better spent on rehabilitative or educational programs to prevent or end the cycle. But no… that would end the cycle of money.
Alright, so what’s FAC’s interest in sharing this post? FAC is vehemently trying to stop the abuse of children. Even when it’s the government abusing them.
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