Budget/Financial

The State of Montana incarcerates some state prisoners in county jails. The state will increase the amount it pays per prisoner in the Cascade County regional jail by $3.82 for a total of $52.82 per prisoner per day. The sheriff in Cascade County says that increase isn’t enough to cover the county’s costs.

The chemicals in methamphetamines cause rotten teeth, leaving some meth users in need of dentures in their 20s. The increasing incarceration of people addicted to meth means that dental expenses in prisons and jails are going up.

For 2006, Oregon’s spending on prisons increased by over 30%, making Oregon the state with the greatest percent increase in spending on prisons in the country. California came in second.

By January 2007, the number of people in Idaho’s prisons reached 7,116, with the number on parole and probation at 12,296. These are some of the statistics recently released by the Idaho Department of Correction in its 2007 Executive Summary.

Strengthening Prison Programs - Increased funding for programs proven to reduce recidivism.