Dennis Dubin: How to Save Taxpayers Millions with Energy-Efficient Prisons

Energy-Efficient Prison Construction

"Unless we begin to take a progressive approach to prison construction, we'll continue down the slippery slope of inefficiency and misuse of our human and natural resources," says Dennis Dubin, a real estate and venture investor whose activities have included interests in telecommunications, health care, alternative energy-related businesses, and meaningful philanthropic support for worthy causes (www.upeace.org). "In the U.S., we keep building more prisons, but current methods of prison construction waste valuable resources, most notably taxpayers' money,"

Mr. Dubin is a proud American who serves as a director of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation (supporting families and agents in need within the Federal law enforcement community) and is an active member in the Navy War College Foundation and an advisor to the World Security Network.

He was a selection committee member and representative to the International Congress for Distinguished Awards for the International Earth Day Medal at the United Nations (Earth Day). Even though Mr. Dubin is a champion of the Constitution and democratic principles, he is a respectful internationalist and special advisor to the United Nations chartered University of Peace (UPeace). He is also a board member of UPeace USA, where he is incubating a youth violence reduction initiative as a possible global model. In addition, Mr. Dubin is a special consultant with the National Foundation for Women Legislators Committee on Crime, Justice, Terrorism & Substance Abuse Policy and a former trustee of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize.

Mr. Dubin has become known as an innovative thinker who creates leading edge concepts in areas of social concern.

For Mr. Dubin, a progressive approach to prison construction incorporates something he refers to as "energy architecture," whereby correctional facilities are built using cutting edge environmental innovation and alternative, renewable energy sources. "The capability of a prison to operate off the grid would tremendously reduce the cost of operating that facility," he says. "Prison construction and operation that is not only energy independent, but that is also sustainable through methods ranging from growing food to water reclamation would allow local, state, and federal governments to reallocate money toward education and other important programs."

Mr. Dubin's proposition comes at a time in our nation's history when over 1.9 million Americans are incarcerated at a taxpayer expense of over $65 billion each year. Research indicates that, over the past 25 years, entry into correctional facilities has risen an astounding 377%, with a corresponding budget increase of 600%.

The trend shows no signs of slowing. In California alone, the projected state spending on incarceration over the next 20 years is $1.3 trillion. "The sheer cost of building and operating prisons demands that we think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions to lower expenses associated with the criminal justice system," says Mr. Dubin.

Mr. Dubin's forward-thinking stance on prison construction is one element of his larger vision, which includes the importance of America's ability to compete in the global marketplace. "We live in an extremely complex world with mounting energy costs and with additional security expenses in response to the threat of terrorism. At the same time, we're competing with the low cost of human labor in Asia and India," he says. "Wasting our human and natural resources translates into increased debt, a failure to compete, and an imbalance in trade."

"America ? and companies like GM ? cannot continue to subsist on stored fat, but must expand its legacy and fulfill its destiny as a leader in technology as well as human and social innovation."

The zero-sum game can become a win-win. Just how to do this will be the subject of the next feature article.

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