Outsourcing Inmates

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Recommended: Overcrowded prisons in the USA

Outsourcing Inmates is a Bad Move
Governor Greg Benson wants to outsource the states medium security prisoners. Outsourcing would mean send inmates in the states prisons out of state to serve their prison sentence. We would be sending these inmates who aren’t just a number; they are fathers, sons, and grandchildren to prisons in states such as Texas or Georgia. He says this will help with over crowding and will save New Hampshire tax payers money. Shipping inmates out of state will hurt the community’s of New Hampshire, it won’t save much money, and is a bad idea.
About 70 protesters, calling them selves Families of New Hampshire Inmates, gathered outside the statehouse on March 15, 2004. The prison staff and families of inmates are concerned about Governor Benson’s plan to ship inmates out of state, which will also send jobs out of state (Inmate). Charlene Newman, a Massachusetts resident, insists it is irresponsible to make budget cuts to the Department of Corrections; it puts a strain on public safety. “If they send our families away, they are just warehousing them,” Newman said. “They are going to send them back to this community not reformed, and our communities are going to be unsafe” (qtd in Inmates). Another protester was Portsmouth’s mayor Evelyn Sirrell. Her son is in the state prison on a kidnapping sentence. “To sit in that room and watch the children, the wives, and the grandparents visit their loved ones is very warming,” Sirrell said. “I’ve been taking my 8-year old grandson to visit his father regularly, and his face just lights right up. To snatch that away just isn’t right. I’ll fight this, and fight it and keep on fighting it” (qtd in Manning). “There’s still a feeling that they are a throw-away society. But everybody makes mistakes, and we should give these inmates a chance to bounce back,” Sirrell said. “Separating them from there families will make it that much harder for them” (qtd in Manning). David Michaud, an inmate at Concord state prison, said the governor’s proposal is causing “anxiety” and “uncertainty” among the inmates. (CCA)
The Executive Councilor of NH, Peter Spaulding, doesn’t agree with Benson either. He notes the Governor didn’t even consult with the council or legislators before enouncing his plan. “To me it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Nobody went to the legislature or the council, and there wasn’t even much consultation with corrections officials from what I can tell,” Spaulding said.

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