2009.01.30
Discuss Friday's editorials
A budget correction for corrections?
Virginia has no money to keep offenders behind bars needlessly. Its budget woes should lead to more use of alternatives.
Last week, Virginia's school superintendents went to Richmond to plead with lawmakers for protection from Gov. Tim Kaine's crippling budget cuts. This week, the local sheriffs showed up. As one measure to reconcile an almost $3 billion state budget gap, Kaine proposes a 7 percent cut in funding for county sheriff's departments. If that comes to pass, sheriffs from around the state said at a news conference Monday, the effect will be to compromise public safety. No Virginia lawmaker wants to be accused of that.
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Stimulus windfalls and budget shortfalls
Virginia could put federal stimulus dollars to good use, but they won't be a panacea.
The economic stimulus package making its way through Congress could pour $4 billion or more into Virginia at a time when the commonwealth is facing more than a $3 billion shortfall in its two-year budget and looming deficits in local government budgets. Still, Gov. Tim Kaine warned budget writers in Virginia's General Assembly this week that the potential infusion of federal dollars won't be a means to avoid making painful budget cuts. The new money could mean only that the state doesn't have to make even deeper cuts if, as expected, revenues keep dropping in a worsening economy.
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"One of the things we have to consider is if we're mad at the individual, or we're afraid of the individual. There's a lot of ways to punish people." - Sen. Stolle
That's a good, common sense statement. I just hope people open their eyes to options.
Comment by HCS — January 30, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
I would like to know which offenders you feel are held needlessly. I believe that the time served is falling, so you want further "soft on crime" compromises?
I was reading about recedivism rates and how they are negatively related to time served, that is, the longer the sentence, the less the offender is likely to repeat. http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411657_massachusetts_recidivism.pdf
Comment by Jim — February 1, 2009 @ 2:16 pm