What a few dollars can do
For a tiny fraction of the $1.9 billion Corrections budget, CAPPS can advocate for:
√ Paroling thousands of prisoners who could be safely
released
√ changes
in law and policy that could reduce our use of prisons for
less serious offenders, the mentally ill and those with
substance abuse problems
√ Shifting
millions of dollars from operating prisons to programs for
children, families and prisoners returning home
We pay an average of more than $32,000 for each of the
50,000 men and women we imprison. If CAPPS had the
equivalent of $10 per prisoner, it could:
Mount a broad-based public education campaign
Design well-researched proposals for reducing
corrections spending
Maintain an engaging website, publish our newsletter, draft position papers
Respond promptly to the media, legislators, community members and prisoners
Develop persuasive profiles of prisoners who could
safely be released
Build and mobilize a membership base that will impress policymakers
