Your Putting Troubled Youth... Where?

 There was a blog that was posted by GritsforBreakfast on October 18th, stating the title "Counties pushing for more control over juvenile system" and in the article goes on to tell its readers about the new policies being discussed at the capital. Basically the blog goes on to tell about how currently teenagers that break the law go to state lock ups instead of local lock ups. There are 6 statewide lock ups that house approximately 1,200 youths and they cost about $400 a day to have each teen in them. Counties are pushing for local lock ups that would house the troubled teens, provide a better chance of reform for them and cost a lot less.
 Although I enjoyed just reading the topic of this post I cant help but to say I find the blog very uninformative. All the author of this post did was aim at an audience that already knew about this topic and to be honest the only way a reader could enjoy this post is if they already had done some homework on their own. Although I would like to say if I agreed or disagreed with this post, it is impossible, and that proves the point that I am getting to even more, how can one decide how they feel about the author's opinion if they arent given it. The reader has no knowledge of who this author is or what their credentials are at all. How do we even know that this blogger even knows what they are talking about. I found it even more interesting that after you read this blog and wonder if maybe you just missed something in there or if the author really did leave a lot of information, if you scroll down you find this letter from a reader and realize that you missed nothing. :

Anonymous said...

"While I agree keeping youth in the local areas if services are available I am afraid there is such a lack of services in even medium sized counties that without intense financial support some of these juveniles would be more of a danger to the local community than they would receive benefits. East Texas does not have a facility large enough for many kids other than their own local kids so where would the little counties send them to? We need more information. GRITS can you post a copy of this proposal??"

 

Anyway check out the blog and see what you think:

 

 Counties Pushing For More Control

Pros and Cons of Prison Healthcare

There was an article posted in the opinion section of the Austin American Statesman on October 4^th titled “Texans Deserve Relief from Prison Health Care Costs”. The article discusses mainly a 61 year old man named Donald Carl Rush who was three times convicted for robbery charges and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Mr. Rush has become very ill with diseases such as diabetes, Hepatitis C and etc. over his last 13 years in jail and had recently requested a parole to a nursing home. Although Mr. Rush’s request was denied it is argued in the article that this was the wrong decision in this case and also in many others. The assumption is that if we would release sick inmates such as Mr. Rush into their requested nursing home parole then the tax payer’s money could go to more important things rather than keeping a very ill man somewhat healthy in prison.

Although I do believe that the author of this article is targeting an older audience in making them realize where their money is going, I think that a younger audience may want to listen up. When Mike Ward made the original report of Mr. Rush’s request and brought the whole topic to everyone’s attention he also went as far to give the audience some numbers, like the $1.9 million spent to keep only 10 of the most expensive inmates alive over this last year. He points out that this money could have been better spent and the inmates still kept healthy with the money that is there to provide healthcare for nursing home patients.

After reading this article a few times over I came to realize that I personally agree with the author, that those inmates that no longer pose a threat to society and are continually monitored by the police should be released to nursing home facilities that can carry them. If nothing else opening a nursing home possibly for the paroled inmates could be government funded with the money that they already use for this purpose, provide more jobs for those that need it and cut the tax payers money going to keep these inmates healthy in jail and lastly maybe even make a little more room for those that are incoming prisoners. I do feel like the author could use a little more credibility than that he works for a newspaper, and given a little more information on how everything is currently paid for to make his article more clear but otherwise a good read, and even better a good lesson.  

Check out the article at:

 Texans Deserve Relief From Prison Health Care Costs