Slugs to Scrubs

In the U.S. of part of A., it costs more to house a prisoner than to educate a university student.

The U.S. of part of A. has the largest prison population and the largest percentage of its population in prison of any country in the world.

And Puerto Rico follows along like a lolly-tongued puppy...


Okay, We have a problem here. Let's toss in a few more isolated facts:

There is an estimated shortage of some 280,000 nurses in the (you guessed it) U.S. of part of A., and the shortage is getting worse.

Beginning in 2008, the first of the Baby Boomers, the largest single generation in U.S. history, will begin to retire and already makes up the largest segment of the population in need of health care.

The estimated need for health care workers is some 600,000 more than the available right now, and the gap is growing at an estimated 10% a year.


Yeah, I'm going there: Let's train prisoners--men and women--to become health care workers, medical therapists and nurses.

First objection dismissed: Not all of them. With a prison population rapidly climbing to the 3 million mark (despite Texas' desperate need to kill some of them), one can be choosy.

Second objection dismissed: Recidivism will always exist, but even clean-record civilians show a double-digit tendency to drop out of health care, police forces and fire/rescue services. At least by training prisoners, We're looking to make use of human resources for a greater good instead of fattening them up for economic slaughter when they get out.

Third objection dismissed: Online education services. Forget moving them out of the prison: Just habilitate a computer room and only those who excel at their studies (both in grades and pace) are rewarded with on-the-job education and training.

End result: A reformative penal program that clearly addresses multiple key social needs, from rescuing those who've made a mistake to offering hope to the marginal to providing services to the needy to saving money.

Discuss amongst yourselves.


The Jenius Has Spoken.