Persuasive Writing Topic #3, Prison

Facts for discussion,

1. There are 300 million people in the US


2. 1% of the American population is currently in prison


3. 52% of all people incarcerated return to prison if uneducated


4. On the other hand, only 25% of people who learn a trade, earn a degree or a diploma return to prison


5. Applying the 1% number to 300 million, that means that there are 3 million prisoners in the US


6. Each federal prisoner requires about $25,000 a year to keep them behind bars, State or Community totals about the same, less a few hundred dollars


7. Applying that cost to the population totals approximately 75 BILLION dollars a year spent on prisoners


8. Applying that cost to the population that would not return to jail if educated, we learn that we could save approximately 55 BILLION dollars annually if we educated prisoners

SITUATION:

52% of all people incarcerated in the United States re-enter the prison system after their initial sentence. However, inmates who earn a degree diploma, or learn a trade/vocation are only reconvicted at the rate of 25%. Despite this fact, one of the first programs to recieve a cut in funding at prisons is education.

DIRECTIONS:

Compose a persuasive letter to a local prison warden convincing him/her to not only stop decreasing the education budget of the prison, but to increase the money so that repeat offenders can be stopped before they create (an)other victim(s).