By whatever name you want to call it, the proposed changes to the Massachusetts Habitual Offender Law also know as three strikes you’re out (which includes the current House version the Senate version and the Governor’s version) all lead to the conclusion that the taxpayers of Massachusetts will shell out more money to house inmates longer.

Simply being tougher on crime by removing reasoned consideration from judges hired for their demonstrated skill of reasoned judgment can not be an appropriate solution to address violent crime in Massachusetts.

The NAACP supports a careful and thoughtful review of the Massachusetts criminal justice system that aims to protect its citizens and holds people accountable for their offenses.  Being smart on crime requires a system that emphasizes education and rehabilitation programs and works to establish programs that reduce recidivism.

All versions of the proposed changes to Habitual Offender law place a tremendous burden on taxpayers. 

Currently, there are almost 12,000 people incarnated in Massachusetts prisons.  Of those incarnated about 5,500 are serving time that would qualify them for maximum sentencing without parole under the three strikes you’re out legislation.  A conservative analysis of Massachusetts Sentencing Commission data shows that between 150 – 250 of these offenders would likely be sentenced on average to an additional 10 year prison stay.  Reasoned estimates of the cost to house inmate is between $35,000 to $47,000 per year in Massachusetts. When you start doing the math at the lowest estimates of the number of persons additionally incarnated at the cheapest per year cost, the price tag of the proposed legislation is staggeringly high.  (150 additional inmates X $35,000 per year = $5,250,000 X ten additional years = $52,500,000) 

Unfortunately, studies have shown that longer prison sentences do not reduce recidivism.  In the end the public pays an enormous cost to hold persons in prison longer without gaining any benefit of a safer community.

In the current climate of scarce availability of public funds, spending more on expanding the prison system to hire more correctional officers to hold inmates longer does not make sense and will not make us safer.  The long term solution to reducing violent crime in our society is to enhance the quality of elementary and secondary education system.  Spending more on the criminal justice system directly limits our ability to adequately fund our educational system.  Hiring one more teacher today will do much more to keep us safe from violent criminals than hiring one more correctional officer tomorrow.

Attorney Neil Osborne, President

Mystic Valley Area Branch of NAACP

3^rd V. P. New England Area Conference NAACP

Mystic Valley Area Branch is the local NAACP Unit servicing the towns of Arlington, Medford, Malden, Everett, Winchester, and Woburn. Go to www.mva-naacp.org for more local information about NAACP activities.