Spending On Prisons Growing Faster Than Spending On Schools

In Maryland, state and local spending on prisons and jails  has grown twice as fast as spending on elementary and secondary education over the previous three decades, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education. Nationally, corrections spending has outpaced education spending by three times.

The report analyzes federal data from 1980 to 2013. According to the Baltimore Sun,

Nationally, growth rates for spending on corrections also outpaced appropriations for higher education, even when adjusted for population growth, according to the report. In Maryland, state spending per full-time student declined during the period from $8,946 to $7,020, while spending on prisons increased.

2 sessions on the criminal justice system are being held at MACo’s Summer Conference

Data-Driven Justice: Using Data to Lead to Better Outcomes in Criminal Justice will take place on Thursday, August 18. Speakers will discuss the White House Data-Driven Justice Initiative.

Mentally Ill and Incarcerated: A Criminal Justice Crisis will be held on Friday, August 19 – in this session, attendees will learn more about the challenges local jails face handling this critical population and innovative steps being taken to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails.

Learn more about MACo’s Summer Conference: