THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412150006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A26 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
Your recent report on the unexpected $77 million bill resulting from Gov. George Allen's new low parole-granting rate is extremely shortsighted in not seeing the long-term savings expected as a result of the extended incarceration of criminals.
The recidivism rate (percentage of offenders who repeat their crime) as reported by the FBI is inordinately high - 65 percent for all felons. A longer incarceration period is saving millions of dollars by stopping or delaying the re-entry of repeat felons into the criminal-justice system as well as the prevention of crimes against society.
The saving realized by deterring a single public trial can easily amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer expenses.
Additionally, the deterrence of crimes against society such as those crimes that destroy property, life and a sense of security hold a value much greater than the mere $77 million referred to in your report.
THOMAS WAGNER
Chesapeake, Dec. 10, 1994 by CNB