One Extra Phone Call for The Holidays

The holiday season is upon us, what does that mean for us?  It means we get an extra 100 minutes of phone time during the months of November and December.  We all still have to pay for those calls but the inmates are giving more phone time to use.  It amounts to another 6 phone calls during the month, which is a bit more than one more call per week.  Wahoo!!!  House him over 500 miles from his family and then graciously allow him one more phone call per week during the holiday season.  Excuse me if I sound a bit bitter, but I am continuously amazed with everything I have learned about our justice system.

I don't think I am bitter exactly, I guess I am more dumb founded by the antiquated ways we treat those who have made bad choices.  Yes, he did have a choice in deciding what he did, but who gets to set the bar and determine where the line is drawn whether what he did was so bad that he must go away to prison versus pay a fine and get counseling outside a prison wall.  While he is currently locked up, there are no programs available for him to get the counseling he really needs, thankfully my husband found a voluntary program that is as close as he can get and it is helping him tremendously.  Now as an inmate he is a ward of the state and his family is reliant on friends for additional support.   We get some assistance from the government agencies so indirectly the taxpayers are also paying some of our household expenses as well as his daily needs.  The costs to the taxpayers, I figure is roughly $500,000.00 for his entire stay and the minimal support we receive.

The flip side of this would have been to fine him for his choices (putting money back into the system), putting him on some type of supervision and requiring counseling.  Even a specialist, at the time of his sentencing did not recommend prison, saying he would benefit more from counseling and supervision.  Given this option he would still be working at a full time job, contributing to our household expenses as well as being a tax payer and adding to the tax base instead of draining it.  This option over the course of five years would have been a break even situation when considering dollars only.  But if you consider the fact that three children would still have their father home and we would still be a family,  that is priceless.  Not to mention that he would be getting the help he needed as soon as possible.

The public is outraged by the current economic conditions and the fiscal mess our country is in and yet they remain blissfully unaware of the escalating cost and budgets of the criminal justice system.  This applies to both the state and federal systems.   Lets take some time and thoughtfully review our current system and guidelines to still ensure the safety of the public and best serve the community as a whole.

Wouldn't it be a great Christmas gift to everyone if by next year we were able to ensure that more families were home and intact and that the economy was on the mend due to some thoughtful and forward thinking politicians and officials.  The Bureau of Prisons could keep their extra 100 minutes, I would just like to have my husband home.