Benge: Enough Prison Studies
From www.tulsaworld.com ~ With an annual budget approaching half a billion dollars and a population of more than 25,000 inmates, some lawmakers want to take a closer look at the state's prison system.
But all six of the interim studies lawmakers requested to examine the issue were denied by House Speaker Chris Benge.
Such studies, held between sessions of the Legislature, generally involve expert presentations and help lawmakers craft legislation.
Some studies approved this year include the possibility of banning cell phones while driving and another on preserving nuclear families.
Benge, R-Tulsa, defended his decision, saying an extensive audit released last year on the state's prison system gave lawmakers plenty of ideas for coping with the growing prison population and its aging infrastructure.
"We felt like the audit gave us a good blueprint to follow and didn't feel like any additional studies were warranted this year," Benge said. "I think it covered just about every part of the system, and additional studies just seems like a duplication of efforts at this point." Read the entire article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080811_11_OKLA257757.
But all six of the interim studies lawmakers requested to examine the issue were denied by House Speaker Chris Benge.
Such studies, held between sessions of the Legislature, generally involve expert presentations and help lawmakers craft legislation.
Some studies approved this year include the possibility of banning cell phones while driving and another on preserving nuclear families.
Benge, R-Tulsa, defended his decision, saying an extensive audit released last year on the state's prison system gave lawmakers plenty of ideas for coping with the growing prison population and its aging infrastructure.
"We felt like the audit gave us a good blueprint to follow and didn't feel like any additional studies were warranted this year," Benge said. "I think it covered just about every part of the system, and additional studies just seems like a duplication of efforts at this point." Read the entire article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080811_11_OKLA257757.
Labels: Chris Benge, Prison Studies
posted by Mike McCarville @ 11:29 AM
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