To The Left: Money for education; what a novel concept

     Is it about to change? We are on a “wait and see” basis, but if lame duck Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a say, that wait may soon be over.

     In his State of the State address on January 6, the Governor caused quite a seismic impact when he announced that he will, according to the Los Angeles Times, “Mandate that the state invest more dollars each year in its public universities than in locking people up in prison.”

     That’s a tall order, especially when one must consider that running prisons in California is one of the most lucrative enterprises the state has going.

     According to a 2007 study by the Urban Strategies Council titled “The Rising Cost of Incarceration: Criminal Investment Decisions,” incarceration costs taxpayers $216,081 per prisoner—PER YEAR. Compare that to tuition of $25,100 a year per student at the University of California it costs nearly ten times more to lock up one prisoner.

     As of 2007, “California’s prison population is at an all-time high of more than 171,000 people and 31 of the state’s 33 prisons are currently operating overcapacity,” according to the study. At that cost, accommodations for the prisoners should be far more than first class, but an 8’ x 10’ cell hardly reflects such.

     Neither does the employment of prison guards, who pull in an average of $40,000 a year, one may correctly surmise that the private prison system is racking up some serious profits, and will not give in easily to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s lofty request.

     California voters are in the dark as to how skewed its priorities are when it comes to more prisons versus higher education. The Times piece points out that “Voters and politicians alike have approved years of stiffer sentences and stricter rules for parolee, driving up the prison population.” This is a recipe for overcrowded conditions, which results in either releasing prisoners or increasing spending. You get one guess as to which one always gets chosen…

     Here’s a breakdown: In its current state, the California budget calls for UC, Cal State and Cal Grant financial aid to receive $6 billion (not counting future student tuition fees to increase by 33% in 2010, which caused a firestorm of protest when announced last year), while the prison system will get $8.12 billion, according to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. If Schwarzenegger gets his way, funding into the UC, Cal Grant and Cal State coffers will account for 10% of the state budget, while funding for the prison system would be capped at 7%. It a start, but still does not answer the prickly pie-in-the-sky question of why not steer the money to programs to point children away from a life of crime through education and opportunity. In other words, why not over-fund the spark, the very essence of the American Dream?

     In all seriousness, change will not come any time soon. Education always gets the short end of the stick in such situations, and not just in California. But voters are beginning to realize that perhaps our priorities should, at the least, be re-examined. There is no concrete answer to what to do about those already ensconced in the lucrative prison system. With the increase in privately run prison systems, there is little chance of prison improvement, such as assisting prisoners through education in adjusting to or fitting into the system as productive citizens. Not much chance of that either; too much money to be made.  Gov. Schwarzenegger should be commended for even suggesting such a radical change in a broken system. But he’s on his way out, and there is little chance that the next governor will take up the banner to effect a change in a system that makes so much money. But, hey, we can dream, can’t we?