How Much Tax Dollars are Spent on Prisons in America?
You may not consider where exactly your tax money goes rather you focus on complaining just how much of your money goes towards them. Many taxpayers may not just be shocked to know their money goes to the prison system but also how much of their money goes to the prisons. Statistically, many states spend more on the prison system today than they spend on education. This is a scary statistic when you think about it, a point that Valerie Jenness wants more people to be aware of.
It is estimated that around $80 billion goes towards the prison system each year. When you put that money into perspective with regards to the education budget, this could be put towards doubling the salaries of high school teachers or eliminate the need for tuition at public colleges and universities. Just let that point sink in for a few minutes.
This is money that could be used to making the schools of America better and giving more Americans the opportunity to get the education that they need to get the jobs that they want. Where does this money go? Around 74% of this money is to pay the employees and other benefits that come with their employment. 21% of this money goes to other costs like contracts, utilities, and supplies. Finally, 5% of this money goes to the capital costs of running the facility.
What does all of that mean?
The biggest chunk of the money goes towards employee salaries, benefits, and the contributions to retirement funds. The goal is to have one guard per every three inmates, a minimum that prisons try their best to maintain. However, the amount of inmates in jail is constantly increasing making it far more expensive than it has been in the past.
To show you a breakdown of these numbers up close, it is best to take look at a specific county. In the year 2014, Johnson County, Kansas had around 693 inmates. There are around 574,272 people in total who live in this county. They spend an estimated $191.95 per inmate per day and meaning that each and every resident is essentially paying $82 every year for jail. These numbers include the fact that you are paying for the health care of inmates and any hospital care that is necessary, which is another huge cost to the taxpayers.
What you may find shocking about these numbers is that even though we know just how much is actually being spent, we are not sure about how effective this money is. These high costs have caused the government to try to figure out ways to save money in their budget for the prison system. This can be a difficult proposition because you need to find a way to reduce the costs without sacrificing the safety of the people residing within the prison. This also only considers the financial implications of the prison system and not considering any of the societal costs of the mass incarceration that exists in America today.
