Housing Prisoners in California Now More Expensive than Sending Them to Harvard

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The LA Times recently reported that the cost of housing each inmate in the California prison system costs $75,560 per year. This is 20 percent higher than the cost of attending Harvard College.

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Anna Hunt,Staff Writer
Waking Times

The LA Times recently reported that the cost of housing each inmate in the California prison system will cost $75,560 per year. This is 20 percent higher than the cost of attending Harvard College, based on Harvard estimates for room, board and tuition.

Cost of Housing Prisoners Doubled Since 2005

Interestingly, housing prisoners in California is now twice as expensive as it was in 2005. The cost surged in 2015, increasing nearly $10,000 or 13 percent from the prior year. The biggest cost drivers are prison staff salaries. For example, today, the California corrections department employs about one person per two inmates. In 1994, this ratio was one employee to four inmates.

Governor Jerry Brown allocated an $11.4 billion budget towards the California’s corrections department. The budget goes into effect on July 1, 2017. Although the cost of housing prisoners is higher…

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