http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002176819_lance11.html
Lance Dickie
"Prisons are criminally expensive to build and operate.
The crush of prisoners locked up in Washington has the state Legislature in earnest conversation about a new prison. The round number is $188 million.
Another parallel and refreshing conversation is going on about who gets locked up and how long they should be held. Even the state's 'three strikes' law is getting an overdue look. Call it a maturing of public policy or sheer desperation, but it has forced new thinking about wiser use of tax-supported resources. "
