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Bob Hood Warden (ret.) U.S. Penitentiary “Supermax” Florence, CO writes:

The July 26 Rocky Mountain News featured two articles - “Prison Price Tag Debated” and “As Inmate Numbers Swell, State Scrambles for Relief.” Consider the following in response to your articles: The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) maintains one “supermax” facility with a rated capacity of 490 for an inmate population of 199,267.
The Colorado DOC has one 756-bed “supermax” and another 948-bed high security prison planned (total of 1,704 beds) for an inmate population of 22,519. The percentage of beds needed for disruptive, escape-prone inmates is far different for the total inmate populations served (1% for BOP and 8% for Colorado). To spend an additional $102.8 million for another Colorado maximum security facility may better be used on re-entry initiatives such as increased programs in education, anger management, and substance abuse.
Inexpensive, proactive facilities like the Cheyenne Mountain Re-Entry Center in Colorado Springs reduces recidivism while maintaining a safe community.
By 2011 one in every 178 U.S. residents will live in prison, according to a report entitled, Public Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America’s Prison Population 2007-2011 prepared by The Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project. America will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison, which could cost taxpayers as much as $27.5 billion over the next five years beyond what is currently spent on prisons. The challenge for prison officials is to operate facilities in a cost-effective manner without jeopardizing security and quality programs. Building more “supermax” prisons instead of re-entry centers is not the answer.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

Excellent letter by someone with experience in the system. I would further add that it would also be beneficial to quit incarcerating first time non-violent offenders with ridiculously long sentences; and, drop the absurd war on drugs.

Prohibition didn't work with alcohol, and hasn't worked in the last twenty some years for drugs. Insanity can be defined as repeating the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.

How about a "NATIONAL EXECUTION DAY" to take out 1,000 prisoners per day. That will keep the costs down.

The cornerstone for building more prisons is the racist incarceration of Blacks and criminal illegal Mexicans. I am disappointed that my 42 black "suits and dresses", that comprise the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), have "cut and run" on the criminal illegal Mexican issue. Illegals steal or jobs, increase our crime rates, resegregate our neighborhoods, retard the academic achievements of black students in public schools, re-introduce communicable disease that we've already cured, etc. The CBC fear back-lash like US Rep. Cynthia McKinley got, when she slammed Jews. The Jews retaliated with huge sums of money and found another "lackey" to beat McKinley in her re-election bid.

Criminal illegal mexicans are at the heart of most social and economic that blacks nationally suffer from. I must also say we created enough of our own problems long before illegal Mexicans or Hindu-Indians reached our soil. The worst sin that criminal illegal Mexicans committ is they register and actually vote. Ken Salazar (state attorney general), jumped into bed with the GOP and they did a slick Texas-style redistricting in Northeast Denver, where illegals registered and voted, nullifying the votes of Northeast Denver blacks. RESULT: for the first time in deacdes Northeast Denver blacks suddenly have representation on RTD board of directors (13 whites and 2 Latinos). Thanks should also be given to Jones, Groff, Obama, Marshall, T. Carroll, etc.

40acres, you thought this was a fiction forum rather than a fact forum, right? It was not too long ago that many white people regularly said the same thing about blacks that you now say about Mexicans. Both then and now, what they said was, and what you say is, bogus. In fact, there are still white people peddling that kind of garbage about blacks. But perhaps you are right; perhaps Mexicans are the cause of your problems. After all, blaming someone else for your problems is the great American pastime and why shouldn't you participate in it?

Truth
I am flabbergasted!!! You finally make some sense. Even your statement about blame, though it is a bit hypocritical judging from your other postings today., such as blaming everyone but Ruby for her lack of educational subsidies, etc.
AF

As usual...more pointless, babbling, drivel from ol' hank...long on hot air, short on real solutions.

Truth..
40 Acres is our American Veteran..let him vent his opinions. You look after Paola and Ruby.

Does anyone see a relationship between increased levels of incarceration and privitization of the prison system? Is there any profit to be made from rehabilitating people and emptying some of the beds? Or is all about the bottom line?

How about National Mental Midget Day: Hank (Keith?) can join the inmates he has sentenced to death and rid these forums of his (her?) incoherent ramblings once and for all.

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