When Governor Corbett came to Philadelphia in May, Decarcerate PA lined the streets with prison beds and banners to demonstrate that money
spent on prison beds is money taken away from the things PA really
needs. Now we are taking our beds on the road! Every day from now
until the budget passes, Decarcerate PA will post a new photo of these prison beds in front of institutions and places in Pennsylvania that are negatively impacted by Governor Corbett’s broken priorities.
Governor Corbett’s proposed 2012-2013 budget would continue his
attack on public education, health care, and social services. His budget
cuts $78 million from basic education, $264 million from higher
education, $319 million from General Assistance, and millions more from
environmental protection, homeowners assistance, and healthcare and
mental health services. He claims these drastic cuts will somehow
benefit the state. But if Governor Corbett really loved Pennsylvania, he
would focus on funding the vital industries and support systems that
help Pennsylvanians grow, learn and stay healthy.
At the same time, Governor Corbett is moving ahead with a $685
million project to build three new prisons and expand nine existing
facilities. Each new prison will contain about 2,000 new beds and cost
$200 million to build. For each new prison bed, Pennsylvania taxpayers will pay about $100,000. In
all, this expensive construction will add over 5,000 new beds to the
prison system at a time when Governor Corbett’s own Department of
Corrections Secretary, John Wetzel, acknowledges that thousands of men
and women are currently incarcerated in PA beyond their minimum release
dates due to programming wait lists and bureaucratic backlogs.
If Governor Corbett cared about Pennsylvanians, he would invest in
education, healthcare and other industries that promote a brighter
future, not more unnecessary prison beds. Join Decarcerate PA in asking Governor Corbett, “Where is the love?”
For more on Decarcerate PA’s campaign, visit: www.decarceratepa.info
For more details on the impact Governor Corbett’s proposed budget cuts, visit: http://pennbpc.org/
Check Out Picture This HERE!
