Recession means paring bloated prison system

In regard to the nearly 9,000 inmates incarcerated in Iowa's overcrowded prison system and the need to release hundreds, if not thousands of them, in order to drastically cut the bloated Iowa Department of Corrections budget in these tight economic times:

Ironically, it is as though everyone, including elected state legislators, is afraid to touch this “sacred cow” in the name of “public safety.” However, the reality is that many issues labeled as public safety, such as imprisoning large numbers of our population, are hyped because of special interest groups who have a vested interest in keeping the jails and prisons over capacity.

Specifically, the recent contract with AFSCME employees highlights this issue. While arguing against reopening contract talks with the incoming governor, union leader Danny Homan uses the tired phrase “essential services” i.e., self interest in preserving as many jobs in corrections as possible (Des Moines Register, Dec. 1).

The fact is that Iowa's prison system employs almost 3,000, a 3-to-1 ratio of prisoners to employees. This ratio is high compared to other states. Also consider that Ohio, Illinois, California and others began cutting their prison populations immediately after the national recession began two years ago, realizing just how expensive it is to keep many people unnecessarily incarcerated.

Iowa has always considered itself a progressive state when it comes to ways to deal with economic hardship. It's past time to make an impact on the substantial corrections budget and positively impact the lives of thousands.

Charles Trobaugh

Cedar Rapids