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June 09, 2009
NC: Education and Prison/Jail Spending
Education budgets outweigh prisons
Catherine Pritchard
Fayetteville Observer
Q: With the state so strapped for cash for the schools, I would like to know how much do we actually pay for our prison systems as compared to what we pay for our schooling? J.S., Fayetteville
A: Well, it all depends on who you mean by “we” and what you mean by “how much,” among other things. After all, public schools get funding at the federal, state and local level. And there are federal prisons, state prisons and county jails (where, we should point out, many of the inmates are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of a crime).
And any numbers we provide will inevitably include funds that are not going directly to what might be considered “prisons” or “schools.”
That said, here are some basic numbers from budget proposals for the 2010 financial year.
At the federal level, President Obama is proposing $46 billion for education and $7.6 billion for the Bureau of Prisons, including oversight of the system and prisoner re-entry programs.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue’s proposed budget for 2010 includes $11.4 billion for education and $1.3 billion for the Department of Correction, which includes prisons, parole and probation.
Closer to home, Cumberland County Manager James Martin’s budget proposal includes $75.4 million for schools and $11.5 million to run the county jail.
Housing one inmate does cost more than educating students, according to the state’s per-person estimates. The Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh estimated statewide spending per pupil at $8,552 this year, while the state Department of Correction lists a yearly cost per inmate of $27,911 for 2008.
But then prisoners live in prisons under armed guard, whereas students get to go home after school.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=328546
Posted by lois at June 9, 2009 09:23 AM