> should taxpayers be paying to give violent criminals a work-free existence? If doing so significantly reduces the recidivism rate (which I strongly suspect i

> should taxpayers be paying to give violent criminals a work-free existence? If doing so significantly reduces the recidivism rate (which I strongly suspect it would), then yeah, I'd say that be an easy 'yes'. I wouldn't be at all surprised if $X in free money given to ex-cons translates into much more than $X money saved by society. Getting mugged costs a lot more than just the money that was in your wallet. There's (often) medical bills, there's police officers to pay, there's lost productivity due to having to replace ID cards and whatnot, etc. If someone then gets charged with the crime, the costs balloon even further as you deal with further police costs, jail time, time for taking the case through the courts, etc. And if they get convicted, there are even more costs associated with that.