Jim Sensenbrenner: “what I think is really puzzling is that many who have made very strong arguments in behalf of the $10.5 billion more in…”

“what I think is really puzzling is that many who have made very strong arguments in behalf of the $10.5 billion more in Federal money to help build prisons that can be used to house State and local prisoners as well as Federal prisoners are now arguing and saying that we cannot require that 85 percent of the sentence be served. One of the reasons why the taxpayers are being asked to spend a huge additional amount to build prisons is to try to cut down on the revolving door, where those who have been convicted and sentenced for crimes of violence against their fellow human beings get out after serving only a small fraction of their sentences because there is not enough prison space and we have to free up that space for somebody else to go in there. It seems to me that we ought to have some kind of quid pro quo, because if we spend $10.5 billion to build more prisons and the violent offenders get out as they have been getting out, then the taxpayers are taken for a ride again and the streets are not going to be safer.”