Comments on: Fiscal Fright: Budget storm clouds could put state ‘under water’ in 2014  http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/09/12/fiscal-fright-budget-storm-clouds-could-put-state-%e2%80%98under-water%e2%80%99-in-2014/ Your Inside Track to Arizona Politics Thu, 23 May 2013 17:20:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Donna Leone Hamm http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/09/12/fiscal-fright-budget-storm-clouds-could-put-state-%e2%80%98under-water%e2%80%99-in-2014/comment-page-1/#comment-69427 Donna Leone Hamm Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:19:02 +0000 http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2011/09/12/fiscal-fright-budget-storm-clouds-could-put-state-%e2%80%98under-water%e2%80%99-in-2014/#comment-69427 Given all of the challenges and problems listed in this article, it seems self-evident -- but apparently is not -- that legislators must take a serious look at the criminal sentencing code and make some drastic revisions. The Department of Corrections operating budget is now over $1 billion. We are destroying families by incarcerating bread-winners; creating vast problems for the mentally ill who are sent to prisons, not mental hospitals; and, creating an entire sub-class of citizens with the label "felon" branded on their backs (and backgrounds) forever. The elephant in the middle of the room is politics. Legislators don't want to be branded "soft on crime," but also are apprehensive about appearing "smart on crime." It will take some courageous groups of legislators in positions of leadership to make meaningful change to our criminal sentencing code. And it will mean that those with vested interests in maintaining the status quo will have to rethink their position about what is right for Arizona. Given all of the challenges and problems listed in this article, it seems self-evident — but apparently is not — that legislators must take a serious look at the criminal sentencing code and make some drastic revisions. The Department of Corrections operating budget is now over $1 billion. We are destroying families by incarcerating bread-winners; creating vast problems for the mentally ill who are sent to prisons, not mental hospitals; and, creating an entire sub-class of citizens with the label “felon” branded on their backs (and backgrounds) forever.

The elephant in the middle of the room is politics. Legislators don’t want to be branded “soft on crime,” but also are apprehensive about appearing “smart on crime.” It will take some courageous groups of legislators in positions of leadership to make meaningful change to our criminal sentencing code. And it will mean that those with vested interests in maintaining the status quo will have to rethink their position about what is right for Arizona.

]]>