Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal printed an article called "Communities Pay for High Prison Rate." The story focused on the South Mountain area in south Phoenix near St. Vincent de Paul's main campus, and the amount of displaced residents or people serving time in prison or jail. According to the article, Arizona has the fatest growing prison population, and the amount of people in the South Mountain district who are displaced is five times the national average.
"Behind those figures are many hidden, related costs -- financial burdens that communities are often left to manage. For every person who goes to jail, businesses lose either a potential employee or customer. Inmates' children often depend on extended families, rather than a parent, to raise them. With only so many government resources to go around, churches, volunteer programs and other groups must often step in to help."
The full article can be found at
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121565329254241389-lMyQjAxMDI4MTE1MDYxNTAzWj.html
