Assessment
No Con Left Behind: Time to Rethink Priorities?
A surprising fact about California’s spending habits.
By James Daly
September 14, 2004
Credit: Illustration by Hugh D’Andrade
Here's a kick in the head: California spends almost four times as much on incarcerating its prisoners as it does on educating its students. The Golden State spent an average of $7,324 per student in 2002, according to the National Education Association. Meanwhile, the yearly cost per inmate is $28,439, says the state's Department of Corrections. You got a problem with that? Drop a note to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at governor@governor.ca.gov.