The Sheriff of Mississippi's largest county is throwing his support behind a push to have more pre-K education in the state. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis says pre-K is the key to decrease the state's prison populartion.
Lewis is joining a national push to urge Congress to pass a 75-billion proposal that would help the state expand preschool to more low- to moderate-income 4 year-olds.
Lewis says Mississippi cannot arrest its way out of a crime problem.
"The bottom line impact could be remarkable. Enabling us to reduce the number of people who are incarcerated in Mississippi by more than 16-hundred every ear and save our state more than 36 million dollars," Lewis said.
Lewis, and Natasha O’Dell Archer with the group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids acknowledge the gridlock in Washington.
However, Archer says Mississippi is already recognizing the benefits of Pre-K.
"This year our state legislature passed bi-partisan legislation that the Governor, Governor Bryant, sign to for the first state supported pre-K program," Archer said.
It is not clear how much it would the federal proposal would cost Mississippi, but it is likely some match would be required.
Sheriff Lewis Joins Push For Pre-K
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