My Solutions

I would end truth in sentencing for non-violent offenders. 65% 3-4 class and 55% 5-6 class Make Inmates WORK for their Keep, have USA business work out deals with the State instead of cheaper labor in other countries and have inmates pay for their stay. Teach them how to be productive citizens not better criminals.Let terminally ill and dying inmates out of prison that have a family to go home to or into hospice medic-aide Deport all illegal inmates back to their own county not allowed to return to the US EVER. Let the counties choose to take inmates back to county jails if they have the space. Release ALL first time offenders with class 5 and 6 felonies, non-violent with 1 year or less left to serve on house arrest or parole.Only let inmates on Death Row sit there for a max time and then times up. We waste too much money on this.Use the CO's tht loose jobs in the Prisons for Parole Officers, and space in the prisons for offices....they DO NOT need to be off site.Shut down 5 or 6 prisons after unloading all the inmates eligible for release and lease them out to private prison companies. Bring back parole, and good time for good behavior. Too many inmates get into trouble because they have nothing to work towards. Make prisons self sufficiant, use all that land for cattle/farms/gardens and crops. Again get rid of vendors, make the inmates work for their food.Allow family to purchase items from a mail order cataloge approved for prison with every thing that they purchase in the stores, but have more choices so that the few commissary business compete with eachother to keep prices reasonable. A $12 CD player from Walgreens is NOT worth the $65 DOC charges inmates!! (Because we all know that FAMILY pays for this monopolization and inmates sometimes take advantage of their family since they have no control over what the inmate purchases with that money)Let inmates who have insurance on the outside use it for their own healthcare. Create more rehabilitaion classes and gang prevention in juvinile and younger DOC inmates. These inmates ARE going to be released eventually, I would much prefer a rehabilitated inmate released than a better criminal and without programs this IS what is happening.Have Christian based prisons for certain eligible inmates. Have flat rates for collect calls with the option of a calling card that the INMATE has to pay for. $1.50 per min with no time limits. Depending on Phase Have a system for inamtes wives to pay the prison for conjucal visits on a monthly or quarterly basis. Rules would have to apply! People need to be touched and a well behaved inmate who has family need to have that time, this would alson help with behavior issues. Don't mess with a man's family visit.Have monthly meetings at the prison with inmates, staff (counselors), and family members to help with counseling and transistion in the last year of their sentence. Have family visitation for inmates with children that are less intrusive and uncomfortable (I've seen this in womens prisons for mothers but not in mens for fathers) Have on site Doctors that can do stitches and things that are simple fixes where the inmate usually get sent off site for. Have auditing done by third parties that show the TRUTH instead of all the COVER UPS that admin does with staff and inmates. Put video cameras in every prison in all common areas. Get rid of all DOC vehicles for admin, make these highers ups drive their own cars!! Have cafeterias at visitation ran by inmates to pay for hot meals again create an income stop letting vendors make all the residual. Increase the utility fee to $5 per month, and open up ALL the cable channels they already have available (built in baby sitter less drama and politics in the prison less fights less inmates killed less law suits) Have change machines for the vending machines in the front of visitaion $0.50 per every $5 change it gives generate a revenue.DOC also needs to train their K9 units better in all the years I have been daling with the prison not ONE TIME has a K9 found any dope in the prison...there is more DOPE in there than there is on the streets.