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I've heard this point made on a per-individual basis. The numbers I found actually make it look even worse: California per-pupil spending 2008: $9,015 Califor

• hugh3 16y ago
  California per-pupil spending 2008: $9,015 California’s Annual Costs to Incarcerate an Inmate in Prison: $47,102 Why should those be, in any way, comparable? Prisoners need cells, three meals a day, healthcare, clothing, and constant supervision, 24 hours a day. Schoolchildren only need classrooms and supervision for six hours a day five days a week. And prisons can't get away with a 30:1 inmate-to-guard ratio, either. It makes perfect sense that a prisoner should cost more than a schoolkid. Of course I'm sure California prison guards are still ridiculously overpaid. My personal solution to this conundrum is to outsource California's prisons to Mexico.
  • lutorm 16y ago
    Of course it's reasonable that prisons are more expensive on a per capita basis. The real question is which of those are most const-effective in making CA a better place to live. Putting all those people in prison was a choice.