News -> INDReporter TUE, APR 5 10:19AM by Heather Miller

Cortez critical of Jindal’s prison sale proposal

A Lafayette state lawmaker is among several state officials deriding Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to sell three state prisons as a way to fill in the state’s budget gaps.

State Rep. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, tells The Associated Press that Jindal’s plan is just another one-time fix to a budget shortfall and will not solve budget problems that could spill over into next year.

“It seems to me like we’re selling prisons to cover a hole this year,” Cortez says, “but we haven’t addressed covering the hole next year.”

The sale of state prisons in Avoyelles, Winn and Allen parishes would generate more than $85 million, money Jindal and his aides say is crucial to paying Medicaid providers throughout the state.

Paul Rainwater, the governor’s budget adviser, says privatizing the prisons would also save the state money through operational costs, but lawmakers have spoken out against the plan and cite the potential for increased operational costs down the road.

The nonprofit Pelican Institute for Public Policy reports that 19 states, including Mississippi, have private prison systems. Studies, however, have shown that the goal of decreasing state prison costs has not been achieved:
A recent American Civil Liberties Union study found that from 1994 to 2007 the Mississippi Department of Corrections, which began outsourcing to private prison companies in 1995, increased its budget by 155 percent. Mississippi also has the second highest incarceration rate in the country, behind only the world leader in incarceration, Louisiana.
Others, including Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project at the Pew Center on the States, argue that the increase in prison costs for states does not stem from privatizing prisons or an increase in crime, but rather an increase in policy changes that send more “lawbreakers” to prison with longer sentences.

The arguments for and against privatizing prisons are moot, according to Jindal’s aides, who say the issue comes down to the state’s health care providers needing the additional money to make it through the fiscal year:
If lawmakers refuse to back the prison sales, that could lead to a reduction in what the state pays doctors, hospitals and nursing homes for taking care of Medicaid patients in the fiscal year that begins July 1, budget analysts told the House Appropriations Committee. Their rates would be cut by 2 percent without the money.
Read more on Jindal’s prison plan here and here.


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written by Laura Ewing , April 05, 2011 - 04:36 pm
Nobody is always perfect. But instead of just putting down Gov. Bobby Jindal's ideas how about coming up with creative better ideas and then going to him with them and then going public with them so many ideas potential solutions are being discussed?

USA must be governed by pragmatism, long-term logical thinking, free-trade, logic, science, never reward bad behavior or laziness, never punish good behavior or hard work. All 50 State governments along with the Federal government are collecting plenty of tax$$$; but what are they DOING with it?!?

If both the State and Federal government(s) were to deal-with/cut "mandatory budget items" "entitlements" "constitutionally protected funds" the money both State and Federal government(s) need would be there for deficit elimination, more mass-transit, subways, high-speed trains, schools, magnetic rails, defence, jobs, eliminating crime, eliminating child-abuse and modern slavery.

Lets all have a logical conversation about all these subjects.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully yours,
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written by ragin_cajun , April 05, 2011 - 06:55 pm
This is the second thing I've heard from Cortez about the budget. The first time, he and Michot were railing against cuts to higher education. Now, Cortez doesn't want to sell the jails.

So what does Cortez think we SHOULD do to "cover a hole this year", or next year, or any hole in any year. I would LOVE to hear spending Rep. Cortez would cut, or what taxes he would raise to close the budget shortfall.

Does anyone know? Post a link to an article stating Cortez' position? Maybe the Independent could call him up and get some information from Rep. Cortez. He seems pretty eager to talk, and easy to reach.

How about it, Heather? I think a 5-10 Q&A with Page Cortez would be a GREAT article for the Independent.
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written by James Melancon , April 05, 2011 - 07:11 pm
ACLU study found that from 1994 to 2007 the Mississippi "Department of Corrections, which began outsourcing to private prison companies in 1995, increased its budget by 155 percent."
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Given the time frame, it is logical the cost would go up, public or private. This statement proves the obvious, not the question of efficiency.
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written by RCajunrunner , April 05, 2011 - 07:22 pm
Thing is, Cortez was one of those State Reps who followed Jindal's request to cave into the Senate's wishes to irresponsibly add an additional $2 Billion in spending to the Operating Budget last year.

34 State Reps, including 3 or 4 Democrats, stood up against the irresponsible spending additions, but that wasn't nearly enough.
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written by POLITICAL OBSERVER , April 05, 2011 - 07:51 pm
Rep. Cortez is correct on this point. The privatization of jails creates one time funding. That state will have to pay the new private owners to house state inmates. In an era in which this state has jail overcrowding and is incarcerating people at an unprecedented rate, the incentive from a private prison is to incarcerate more people and make more money from the state.
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written by James McCracken , April 06, 2011 - 11:54 am
I believe that the provision of certain services (namely law enforcement and corrections) is partly the reason we have government in the first place. Moreover, the prison sales will only raise one-time money (roughly $86 million). But the underlying budget problems are not solved. Its not good to have people making campaign contributions having a hand in the Judicial system. They pray on states that have long incarceration sentences so they can make profits. Not a good idea.
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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , April 07, 2011 - 01:35 am
Some perceptive observations here. James Melancon, Political Observer, and James McCracken are the most astute. The question we all should ask ourselves is why we have such a high incarceration rate to begin with? This answer is simple! We have a large, ample portion of social injustice! We have an extremely poor educational system---both public and private. Furthermore, we lack a viable middle class. We have always paid our professional class poorly. Our university professors are paid miserably. We lack a competent 'art & entertainment' cultural system. In fact, if you think about it, we have a pretty rotten system for citizens as a whole. This stupidity naturally breeds crime---this is something we are really good at!!!

Now to sell our prison structures is an excellent idea for Republicans. They can rob the people's money from the people themselves, and give it to the corporate interests. Since we do such a poor job taking care of our old, poor and sick, we have plenty of money to throw to political donors to the Republican party from the state treasury.

However, do understand that there is a price paid---further internal deterioration of our middle class families. It should never be forgotten that there is a reason why the deepest moral law of all societies in the Western Tradition---Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek & Roman---is that the powerful are the most responsible for the protection, care and support of the most poor, miseable and vulnerable among us! Jindal and the Republicans have broken this basic trust of civilization; they are the harbingers of barbarism!
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , April 07, 2011 - 03:11 am
Why is the icarceraation of criminals being entrusted to private interests groups, the criminals broke state/and or federal laws or both, it makes all the sense to me that the penalty for the crime is mandated by a state/ and or federal law and the imposition of the penalty should be under the supervision of the state and/or the federal governments correctional system not under some self interest group who is out to make a profit. Its common knowledge that government cannot break even on any prison or jail operation under their jurisdiction, so pray tell how in the hell can a private group come in and make a profit from any state and/or federal office who must keep the cost of their operations under the current budget.
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written by ragin_cajun , April 07, 2011 - 12:53 pm
So public funding to NGOs is fine when it's done here locally, or when the state does it for various left wing causes. But if Republicans propose it for jails, then we get the typical class struggle and corporate cronyism rhetoric ... AND the powerful are "responsible" for taking care of some other group. PLEASE!!!

Everyone is responsible for their own well being in a free society, everyone bears the consequences of their actions, and collective groups like the government have NO role in anything other than the preservation of individual rights for the citizen.

As for who runs the jails, I don't really care one way or the other, it's a very close call and either decision is reasonable. But whatever is decided needs to be consistently applied across the board throughout government at all levels. If gov't. Can't outsource prisons, then they can't fund all the other NGO's either.
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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , April 07, 2011 - 02:28 pm
ragin_cajun, you have been making some sense in your latest postings on the various blogs here, however your thesis above is the "old you." Do you believe in "ethical egoism" that "everyone is responsible for their own well being in a free society...NO role..." You might want to re-read your Thomas Hobbes. There is a reason why the Supreme Theme of our Christian scriptures is "Love to God and to our neighbor, and all of Scripture is held in coherence by this hermeneutic principle." What you advocate is class distinction [you want to destroy "class struggles"] and corporate cronyism! You are, essentially, a Republican kleptocrat.
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written by Layne St.Julien , April 08, 2011 - 05:35 pm
Imprisoning citizens is not something that can legitimately be contracted out to corporations. The idea runs against all principle. The laws that were broken were instituted by the government, and punishment is rightfully carried out by the government as well. The duty and power to lock people up belongs only to the state. Vigilant citizens will oppose extending that power to businesses. Corporations have different goals and priorities as jailers, and rehabilitation is not among them, as it would work against their ability to earn profits.
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written by The Original Northsidian , April 08, 2011 - 06:03 pm
Layne, how about another property tax to pay for that? You seem to like property taxes!
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written by Titus Pomponius Atticus , April 08, 2011 - 10:43 pm
Layne St. Julien: My lady you have expressed your sentiments and arguments forcefully. Remember, the Republicans, as Maecenas has asserted here over and over, are a kleptocracy. They only know how to steal from the tax payers, and not pay their fair share. As for 'principles' they do not understand this Latin term. They are thieves and confidence men stealing from the public purse for their corporate taskmasters who despise them! However, thank you for your lucid, wonderful sentiments. I see you have read your massive three (3) volume treatise by the late Samuel E. Finer, "The History of Government." I assure you Bobby Jindal has not!
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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , April 09, 2011 - 08:05 pm
To pick up on Pomponianus' observation to Layne, one should also read the massive three volume, The Development of Ethics [Vol. I, From Socrates to the Reformation; Vol. II, From Suarez to Rousseau; Vol. III, From Kant to Rawls], (2007-2009) 2,832 pages by Terence Irwin (Oxford University). Another treatise our Oxonian educated Governor has not read!

For you politicians reading this, read Cicero's De Officiis ["On Obligations"] translated by P. G. Walsh (2008) for those of you who received an inferior education, and cannot read classical Latin. This is the foremost guide to good conduct in politics! The Tea-Baggers in Washington, D.C. are violating all of Cicero's tenets of honorable behavior.
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