feed children and prisoners

"The average daily cost of housing an inmate in a federal penitentiary in 2004/2005 was $259.05, compared with an average of $141.78 per inmate at the provincial/territorial level." StatsCan: The Daily

This fact amongst dozens of of other stats was released today by StatsCan and can be found in Juristat.

I don't spend that much a day. I cost me about $100/day on rent and living. Which also seems absurd actually. 365 days a year @ 100/day is 36,500 per year, in after tax dollars. Hmm.

And a federal prisoner costs 365 days a year @ 259.05/day. 95,000 per year, in tax dollars.

It's expensive to lost your freedom. How many tax payers per prisoner? Let's say 10 per year per prisoner. This is kind of like sponsoring a child in a third world county. Only they need as little as $5/month, or $60 per year.

Suggestion: (This won't fly.) Let's send those prisoners to those countries (in shackles of course) to their jails. To cover jail costs there, let's generously give those governments a quarter of the cost we'd pay here to house the prisoner - around 25k. And let's give the balance to those children - in the same country - roughly 70k, or roughly enough to educate, house and feed 1,167 children a year. Maybe that's more than $60/year. Maybe it's $600. That's still 116 children with a better life a year per prisoner.

Just a thought. Even if my estimates are vastly incorrect, they're ballpark.