Prisons Winning Budget Battles, Study Says
More money was spent building new prisons than new university structures in 1995, the first time that has happened, a study released by a justice research center showed.
The Justice Policy Institute study said construction funds for higher education dropped $954 million to $2.5 billion while prison outlays increased $926 million to $2.6 billion in 1995, the most recent year for which data is available.
JPI said corrections and higher education generally are non-mandated funds in state budgets, so state officials often have to choose whether to fund prison or university construction.
The study found that from 1987 to 1995, state prison expenditures rose 30% while higher education funding fell 18%. It said the prison population has tripled since the early 1980s, with nonviolent prisoners accounting for 84% of the growth.
JPI said stricter crime policies are generally “unnecessary” and are overcrowding prisons.
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