Florida's Growing Inmate Population

"Lock 'em up and throw away the key." seems to have been the attitude concerning Florida's inmate population thus far. But Department of Corrections secretary Walt McNeil says, perhaps we should be changing our attitudes toward prison inmates. Florida's inmate population is one of the largest in the nation--nearly 100-thousand. Because of the large numbers, the state is looking to build three new prisons. But McNeil says these fcilities should work on educating the inmates. He says the state should focus on drug treatment and job training which will keep them out of prison once they're released. But before any changes can be made, voters--and the legislature-- are going to have to realize longer prison terms for even minor crimes are not the way to go.

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