Letters to the Editor  Tuesday's letters: To save money, reform
prisons  Florida spending too much on prisons | Feb. 13,
commentary  Prison reforms will save money  We can all agree
that Florida spends too much on prisons. However, the reasons
are related more to the size of the prison population than the
cost efficiency of the state-run agencies. People are surprised
to learn that the United States leads the world in incarceration
rate, and Florida ranks seventh in the nation.  The Collins
Center's "Smart Justice" report attributes the rapid growth in
our state's prison population to the "tough on crime" mentality
that swept the country in years past. The tough talk made for
great political speeches but the legislation resulted in poor
policy, swelling our jails with nonviolent offenders who became
wards of the state. We are now paying the price.  Brad Swanson's
assertion that we must do "something different" by privatizing
the prisons ignores the most effective solution to the problem:
reduce the prison pop