Oklahoma’s Skewed Priorities
In today’s Oklahoman (11/25/2009) Michael McNutt reports that Republican State Representative Dennis Johnson of Duncan says that one of the first bills to be considered in the next legislative session will be one to increase penalties for gang-related activities. Senate Bill 826 will make recruiting gang members a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Gangs are bad, but is this really what we need to focus on right now? The State of Oklahoma is laying off teachers, starving seniors, furloughing employees, reducing the number of law enforcement officials – all because of a lack of MONEY. Representative Johnson wants the state to spend more money we don’t have.
Keep in mind these numbers are from 2005, but according to the Department of Corrections Oklahoma spends more than $20,000 per year per prisoner. Sixty percent of those prisoners are non-violent.
Oklahoma spends less than half that amount – only $7,615 – on each student per year. I guess Oklahomans value prisoners more than they do educating our children.
Maybe if Oklahoma prioritized education and students above prisons and inmates, there would be fewer youth even considering joining a gang, fewer drop-outs, and less crime.
What is a better incentive to attract new businesses and jobs – lots of prisoners or a well educated population? Of course for most businesses and industries a well educated work force is much more attractive, but maybe legislators like Rep. Johnson are only trying to attract more private prisons.
