[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 18, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              VYING FOR DOLLARS--EDUCATION AND CORRECTIONS

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                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 18, 1995
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, this Nation has a serious problem with crime 
and the people of this country are demanding something be done. 
Unfortunately, the current debate about how to address this problem 
appears to be stalled at the theory that more prisons will reduce 
crime. But the fact of the matter is building more costly prisons is a 
short-term fix to a long-term problem that may very well be draining 
the resources from the real solution.
  The following article that I am inserting into the Record is a 
thought-provoking interview with Frank Wood, Minnesota's commissioner 
of corrections, a life-long friend and acquaintance. Prior to his role 
as commissioner, Frank Wood served for a decade as a prison warden and 
has had a long positive career in Minnesota corrections. I encourage my 
colleagues to take heed of the message Commissioner Wood relates in 
this important interview.

              Vying for Dollars--Education and Corrections

       ``They are closing schools in California to free up money 
     to build more prisons. And it's not an unusual phenomenon. 
     Education and Corrections are being pitted against each other 
     in almost every state in the union,'' says Frank Wood, 
     Minnesota's outspoken Commissioner of Corrections.
       Wood is not about to suggest that prisons can or should be 
     abolished. Nor is he likely to suggest that Minnesota's $143 
     million prison budget is unnecessary.
       ``Now and for the foreseeable future we will need prisons 
     for violent offenders. However,'' he continues, ``having said 
     that, Minnesota is among the toughest states in the country 
     in terms of sentences, we don't need many more felony 
     enhancements [ed note: corrections jargon for tougher felony 
     sentences].''
       What we do need, Wood says, is a Corrections budget that 
     must increase substantially for several years, ``just to 
     cover the invoices for the laws--and sentences--we've already 
     passed.''
       And beyond that?
       ``We have proposed to spend 30 billion dollars in the 
     national crime bill--and it's highly unlikely that those 
     funds designated for reactions after the fact to crime will 
     lower the crime rate,'' Wood says.
       What the crime bill will do, Wood suggests, is help 
     Americans feel safe in the face of what they perceive as an 
     increasingly violent society with a growing number of out-of-
     control youth.
       Is Wood pleased? Evidently not. ``As we attempt to toughen 
     Minnesota's sentencing guidelines beyond their current level, 
     what we are doing is investing in reaction. Attacking the 
     problems of crime by building more prisons is like attacking 
     the AIDS problem by building more hospitals.
       ``We do need prisons. But we must look at how to conserve 
     our state's resources and focus on and invest in our kids.''
       ``We must,'' Wood says, ``look at kids with learning 
     disabilities and kids with poor anger and impulse control. 
     They can be helped before they end up in correctional 
     facilities.
       ``We must look at how we can help kids who are growing up 
     with abusive parents and kids who are parenting kids.
       ``We need to look at parent education--maybe even mandatory 
     training for parents. We need to teach parents and kids non-
     violent conflict resolution skills.
       ``We've got to remember that even if some want to--you 
     can't throw kids away. They won't disappear. And the costs of 
     dealing with them won't either. They'll take your money when 
     they occupy a cell.''
       Wood insists that it's far less expensive to invest in 
     tutors, parent education, even one-to-one help for kids. He's 
     adamant that society will save money--and may just reclaim 
     lives--if it will invest in more front-end services and fewer 
     correctional facilities.
       ``We invest in recycling plastic, glass and paper--we 
     should invest in preserving our most valuable resource, our 
     kids,'' says Wood.
     

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