How do we save tax money used for prisons?

Many honest people are being taxed to pay for thousands of prisons in this Country. How do we reduce these taxes to give a little more money to honest poor people, some who are eating dogfood to survive. Do prisoners who hurt honest people eat dogfood?. Did you know they get free medical care. And don't give me that "Oh!Oh! they work in prison for it.

~First of all, people who are poor according to the poverty limits are entitled to welfare benefits which are paid by our taxes. It doesn't matter if they are honest or dishonest as long as they are legitimately poor. They get free food, free housing, free medical and dental benefits, etc. If they are truly in need, I don't begrudge them at all.

As to your question about whether prisoners eat dog food, no they don't. My dog, however, eats a lot better than prisoners.
Free medical care for prisoners? Sure, they don't pay for it but they also can't get medical care just because they want it. Why do you think so many men and women leave prison with more health problems then when they went into prison. Just check out the studies that have been done about this issue.

If I had my choice of being poor out here or getting the "free ride" in prison, I'd definitely opt for being poor out here. I like being able to walk outside on a sunny day. I like being able to buy food that I chose and not finding maggots in it. I like being able to go to bed at night and not worry about if some sicko and his buddies are going to gang rape me because I'm the new kid on the block and they have to prove how tough they are. I like being able to visit my family without glass walls between us or in a crowded visiting room with guards watching my every move. I like putting up a Christmas tree and having dinner with my family every year and opening gifts together.

Of course, the fear of prison just might be one reason why I try not to break the law. I know that prisons have nothing to do with rehabilitation. They are meant to punish and dehumanize people. And we wonder why the rates of recidivism are so high.

Check out L.E.A.P. Your answer is there.

There is some VERY hard work that happens in California's prison system that the majority of the of the population is either loathe or afraid to do.

Even though we hold firefighters in high regard, many don't realize that a lot of the firefighters in our famous forest fires are prisoners. For this service they get to eat a little better on the fire line and earn the whopping sum of one dollar per hour.

It is is a huge reduction of cost to the state to use prison labor rather than fully compensated fire fighters. China would be proud.

Edit - One other thing; free medical care is worth exactly what you pay for it.

While I agree that our prison system is a HUGE joke- I think you should check your facts- poor people aren't eating dog food, or cat food, as it is honestly more expensive than many other "real" foods that are available- the dogfood/catfood angle is one to just exaggerate things a little.

That being said- it's organizations like the ACLU that make prison life more like a bed and breakfast than the hell it should be!