Cutting the state budget has consequences, and one of them is that Kansas is less safe. As a result of about $23.5 million in cuts, the Kansas Department of Correction has lost 300 positions and decimated a number of programs aimed at preventing inmates from reoffending, the Lawrence Journal World reported. “We’re not as safe as we were,” Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz told an oversight committee last week. Are lawmakers going to put that quote on their campaign literature?
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32 Comments
According to Kansas Republicans we couldn’t hold the inmates when fully staffed and funded, so we were always less safe.
Have you noticed that budget makers when faced with having to make cuts in their operations often threaten cuts in very important programs rather than cutting positions or salaries of the normally bloated “executive staffs.”
An example would be cutting food supplies and heat to an orphan’s home.
This blog commentary by Eagle opinion editor, Phillip Brownlee, falls into that category.
Apparently the Kansas Department of Corrections, responsible for administering all the state’s prison populations is cutting some 300 prison employees including most likely a considerable number of guards who protect the public’s safety. Also decimating a number of important programs to transition inmates back to life outside the prison.
Notice no mention of reducing the governor’s pay or staff assistants or coffee break nibbles and cookies.
In the budgetary process of USD 259, the first thing to go was a number of SRO’s, the absolutely needed police officers who are assigned to Wichita’s middle schools to keep hallways and classrooms safe for thousands of students.
I dunno if lowering the Governor’s salary would attract anyone who might consider it a worthwhile career move. (Although Herbert West III would make out like a bandit.)
But it’s an old tried-and-true ploy.
The City Council announces no fire department on Friday evenings just before the election and get their tax levy passed. Happens all the time. Works all the time.
And I said all that to say this:
You CONs tend to be such idealists.
Yeah, it’d probably have been better if Wichita didn’t dump half-a-billion on an arena. But it’s here. How do we deal with it?
Yeah, 13-year-old girls should get pregnant by their 16-year-old brothers. So how do we deal with that?
Yeah, I love my little red middle-age-induced convertible roadster, but gasoline might not be important enough to justify perpetual war in the Middle East. How do I deal with that?
CONs tend to decide issues base on what they think they know. We “libruhls” tend to look at things as they are and try to deal with the reality of them.
I suppose this means KS won’t be deporting any illegals also?
Hopefully the Phelps’s get pink slips, and its the City of Wichita that’s getting rid of SRO’s and honestly stationing police in schools is a waste of money, eps in the outlining suburban and rural schools
On a local note, burglaries have increased in my neighborhood dramatically the past few months. Even getting flyers from the WPD.
In the school district that I was in, the SRO’s really didn’t do much other than stand or sit around. Of course, less crime in that district compared to Wichita.
Perhaps O’BAMA needs to release more of PORKULUS so that existing jobs won’t get cut. At this rate, we might be maxing out the federal credit card, but at least we might be doing some good with it by saving state and local jobs.
The lowering of the Governors and Lt. Governors wages is up for review. The other Candidates and myself have a presiposition for being responsible for a percentage of the “Current Wages” as declared in filing to run for the Office. This amount cannot be altered or changed. If no one had filed to become Candidates, they could change the wages and then the new percentage level would be allowed. Basically, all Candidates for Governor/Lt. Governor are grandfathered by the time and date of filing. I filed January 14th 2009 and resigned, then re-filed July 2009 and was declared July 7th 2009. No current politician can declare or adjust the 2011 budget. The next re-elected, elected politicians and the next Governor will gain that “ELECTED RIGHT”! The current politicians and Governor cannot interfere with the 2010 election and its campaign evolution. Stateline dot org, states, the Kansas Governor makes $91,035 and the Lt. Governor makes $91,742 a year. Governor Parkinson dropped the Lt. Governor pay down to about $35,000.00 to discourage people from running. This is UnConstitutional. Herbert West 3rd, {D}, Candidate for Kansas Governor, 2010. herbertwest3rd dot blogspot dot com / twitter dot com / HerbertIII west dot herb at yahoo dot com
I suspect a lower gubernatorial salary would still keep you qualified for your disability checks, “HerbertWestIII.”
(And, just as a reminder: Unlike “HerbertWestIII,” I am not now, nor have I ever been a candidate for Governor of the great State of Kansas.)
Not only should Kansas look at who is in prison but the whole country is going to have to really look at who we put in prison and why. If we don’t we are going to go BROKE keeping people locked up- the majority of which are for non violent offenses. It is my view that prison should be reserved for only 2 types of criminals- those who are violent and/or a danger to the community and those who are career criminals. We need to find other ways to deal with the rest. When I see things like offenders being locked up for 5 years for things like mailing a bong (Tommy Chong), that tells me there are way too many people in prison. Things like this should be handled through fines, work release and halfway houses which are far more effective and far cheaper than prisons. Prisons should be reserved for those who will spend the majority of their lives in them because they are either violent or they cannot be rehabbed. And we don’t need any programs to rehab those types because there is nothing to rehab.
” the absolutely needed police officers who are assigned to Wichita’s middle schools to keep hallways and classrooms safe for thousands of students.”
Pretty sad state of affairs if you ask me. The perception that our public schools are not safe may or may not reflect reality. But if it does – an examination on why there is crime in school would be in order to determine the reasons and deal with them. (I suspect it starts in the home, but libs believe home=government).
At any rate, what’s happened in society that we need cops in the school to allow a learning experience, if that is possible, to develop.
Spelling cops?
You could go to math prison?
I like it.
You don’t get out until you learn your times tables.
Kindergulag?
“Kev” –
I think the problem becomes more procedural than judicial.
For example, I don’t think Tom Bird’s likely to kill anyone else except Sandy and Lorna Anderson’s husband.
(I suspect Lorna was a bobcat in the sack. But I digress….)
On the other hand, Lorna Anderson got out of prison before Tom Bird because she didn’t actually, y’know, kill anybody herself.
Milda Sandstrom spent 20 years in the pokey for killing the only person in the world she would ever kill: her husband who wanted to divorce her.
I’m not sure anyone can make a case for what the people of Kansas got from their investment into Bird’s or Anderson’s or Sandstrom’s extended incarcerations.
But I don’t know how you predict future behavior.
I’m pretty content Dennis Rader isn’t likely to get out of the pen any way but toes first. And I’d throw away the key on Reginald and Jonathan Carr.
But some kid doing 12-to-20 for selling a rock of crack? I’m not sure what the upside is for civilization.
“beber” introduces –
“Kindergulag?”
I have no comment.
I just like the word.
2007 Crime Rate for Kansas
The crime rate in Kansas is about 10% higher than the national average rate. Property crimes account for around 89% of the crime rate in Kansas which is 11% higher than the national rate. The remaining 12.1% are violent crimes and are about 3% lower than other states.
Kansas has a rate 30% lower than than the national average of incarcerated adults per 100,000.
Kansas has 39,275 adults under correctional supervision (prisons, jails, probation, and parole). The supervision rate (number of offenders per 100,000 people) is about 33% lower than the national rate. (2004)
2008 Corrections Percentage of Total State Government Expenditures: Taxpayers paid 16% lower than than the national average in 2008.
Percent Spent on Corrections (2008)
Kansas 5.6% National Average 6.7%
“‘Milda Sandstrom spent 20 years in the pokey for killing the only person in the world she would ever kill: her husband who wanted to divorce her. ”
THe same could probably be said of Scott Roeder .
“American_Way” responds to my post –
“‘Milda Sandstrom spent 20 years in the pokey for killing the only person in the world she would ever kill: her husband who wanted to divorce her. ”
…with…
“THe same could probably be said of Scott Roeder .”
Y’think?
I’m not so sure.
I suspect he’d've moved closer to Colorado Springs.
But that underscores the problem.
Median annual earnings of correctional officers and jailers were $35,760 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,320 and $46,500. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,600, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $58,580. Median annual earnings in the public sector were $47,750 in the Federal Government, $36,140 in State government, and $34,820 in local government. In the facilities support services industry, where the relatively small number of officers employed by privately operated prisons is classified, median annual earnings were $25,050.
Median annual earnings of first-line supervisors/managers of correctional officers were $52,580 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,920 and $67,820. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $81,230. Median annual earnings were $51,500 in State government and $52,940 in local government.
-BLS
The average salary for corrections officer 1 jobs in KS is $40,000. Average corrections officer 1 salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. Simplyhired
The department of corrections has repeatedly left their employees high and dry, losing better officers to other states who pay a lot better, or to other jobs. Incidences of officers being left alone and in charge of inmates are increasing. NO backup. You all freak out if someone looks mean and there is only one of them. These officers are two-three to 40 inmates. Who do you think is going to win in those odds? Is it something you’re willing to get in there and do?
Of course not. The median supervisor position pays about 15 bucks an hour. That would be a staff sergeant (they don’t pay by merit, they pay by position). It takes years to work up to that position, starting at about 11 bucks an hour. The state regularly freezes cost of living increases.
It aint worth it. Not for the job they do.
I don’t know where you got that stat but in Kansas, it is false that the median salary for the Corrections officer 1 is 40k. Take about half of that.
http://www.da.ks.gov/ps/pub/
you can peruse the pay rate for officers here.
Specialist is not the same as officer.
Under such conditions, P.M., I think the officer would best have a history of treating his charges like human beings.
Do all all-male institutions sometimes go violently crazy? It would be interesting to research the question.
Mismanagement of our tax resources is to blame. I have not heard of any other State complaining extensively about Jail overcrowding. Kansas did this just to have money they raised re-appropriated and they use scare tactics to scare us. Give us more or we release people before they are rehabilitated or have finished their time. The State cuts off release care and intervention/after care and then blame us, the tax payer. Topeka refuses to admit they are wrong, they want re-elected. They need replaced. Please, elect people who actually care for us and don’t review what they can steal from us. Herbert West 3rd, {D}, Candidate for Kansas Governor, 2010. west dot herb at yahoo dot com , twitter dot com / HerbertIII herbertwest3rd dot blogspot dot com /
“HerbertWestIII” –
Oh my!
“…they use scare tactics to scare us”?!
What else would they use to scare us?
BTW, it’s good to see you’ve again decided to run for governor.
I, on the other hand, am not now nor have I ever been a candidate for Governor of the great State of Kansas.
Herb you are clueless. They really are understaffed. And underpaid too. So it is that the cons in the state refuse to allocate enough funds. But they underfund everything so everything only half-works anyway.
Time to buy a gun, I suppose?
I don’t know, but Herbert, and Jwinks, Posts seem to make sense. I’m sure there is a ton of government waste that could be cut else where, before they start making cuts to important social programs, that provide valuable services.
Kev, I agree, our whole system of classifying criminals, and locking them up needs to change. Non violent offenders need to be dealt with a different way. These non violent offenders get locked up with violent offenders, and it changes their whole lives. Prison essentially produces more criminals. We need to stop locking so many people up, especially for petty things. I’m sure a third of the prison population could be cut in the future, if we stop locking up so many people. What are some non-violent crimes, that you guys think, people shouldn’t go to prison for?
Monkeyhawk
Posted July 12, 2009 at 9:54 am | Permalink
“beber” introduces –
“Kindergulag?”
I have no comment.
I just like the word.
* * * * *
I thought that was the new name for the “WE Blog”.