It drains the family financial resources. The destruction of the family unit is so great that there is no possible way to justify stealing the lives of people for minor offenses. Imprisonment offers no rehabilitation, training, or future. It simply wastes lives. This will cost us a great deal when hurt people are set free among us.
Prison is a training ground where simple offenders become criminals.
It is full of people who should be in hospitals for substance abuse and mental illness. Prisoners come back to society in worse shape than when they were originally put away. People who once settled for deals offered by District Attorneys are demanding full court trials. This is costing millions of dollars and backing up the system. It is not unusual for public defenders to have caseloads of 100 accused people or more.