Arizona loves to lock people up and throw away the key

I was really surprised that Gov. Doug Ducey did not take seriously the many suggestions and ideas for how to reduce Arizona's incarceration.

We have one of the highest rates of incarceration in the United States, and there have been many studies, including those by the Department of Corrections, showing how this population can be reduced without jeopardizing public safety.

We lock people up way too long. Whatever good will be done by incarcerating them in the first place is long diminished by such lengthy sentences and by the fact that all offenders, including those who have committed only non-violent acts, have to serve 85 percent of their prison time.

There was a bill last year to increase use of early release that had bipartisan support only to be killed by leadership as punishment for one of its sponsors! Many states, including conservative ones like Texas, have figured out how to reduce their prison population, saving millions of dollars that can be redirected to public education, thereby reducing the crime rate and the need for imprisonment.

— Ann Schneider, Phoenix