Seek positive solutions

When I read that Spokane needs 44 more officers to allow “better deployment of force”, I just cringed. Today, the average per-diem costs of locking up one juvenile ranges between $84,000 (Texas) to $230,000 (California) per year in the United States according to the American Correctional Association. That’s between $230 and $630 per day! And guess who is paying for this?

Why do we seem to support “force and fighting” more than looking for positive solutions that could provide mental health counseling, curb adult anger, get kids off the streets and into productive community activities, provide abusive parents counseling, and even promote apprenticeship programs or mentoring for the homeless. The mayor of Portland once said, “If you plan to cut recreation programs, you might as well plan on doubling the number of police and expanding prisons.”

That $5.5 million dollars is a lot of money that should be poured into creative new solutions, not hiring 44 more officers and adding fuel to our culture of rage. What if we chose to value our citizens, not just deploy force?

Barbara J. Brock

Cheney