http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/index.php?ntid=25783&ntpid=0
"Recent task force recommendations urge the nation to pay more attention to prisoner re-entry issues. The Re-entry Policy Council of 100 national experts says that first, prisons must do a better job of preparing prison inmates for freedom.
Then, local government and agencies must play a bigger and better coordinated role in helping ex- offenders adapt especially because many go home to troubled neighborhoods where they can be recaptured by crime, drugs and vice. Counties, which oversee social services, need more money to develop cost-effective local programs to help offenders find a place in the community."
Phil Brinkman spent six months unearthing the facts on prison costs and effectiveness. He asked state leaders and taxpayers for possible solutions to this extremely complex challenge.
"Conning Ourselves" http://www.madison.com/wsj/spe/prison/
