I read the news today, oh boy

I have a great crime reduction plan

     I was reading the Tribune on line today and saw a story about a man in Indiana who robbed a bank.
     It was not the first time he had robbed a bank.  It might have been his third, but at least his second.
     He went into the bank, gave the teller a bag, said this is a hold up, fill up the bag.
     Then he went in front of the bank, sat down on the sidewalk and waited for police.
     He offered no resistance.  He had no weapon.  He didn't do anything with the money.
     When he appeared in court, he told the judge why.  He is a convicted felon.  He was working at an $11 an hour job and living in a cheap motel.  Two weeks ago he lost his job.  He could not find another job, because no one wants to hire ex cons. He got evicted because he could not pay for the motel.
     After sleeping out in the woods in a make shift tent, he realized he had one option:  Commit a crime and go back to jail.
     He asked the judge to sentence him to the max.  He was 56, and expected to live out his life behind bars.
     Here is where my plan jumps into action.
     It costs something like $29,000 to house a prisoner.
     Why not give this guy $1,500 a month not to go to jail?  It would be enough for a cheap apartment and food, and maybe he can find a job to supplement the state money.
     The state would save $11,000 a year in jail costs.
     If we did this for 100,000 inmates, that would be over $1million a year!  If they commit any crime, they lose the subsidy and end up back in jail.
     And don't stop there!  Pay every kid in the country $100 a week to stay in school, not get arrested, and drive safely!  The money we would save on jailing people, preventing traffic accidents, providing job training to high school drop outs would more than pay for the program.  I think.
     Actually, I have no data whatsoever to back up that claim.
     But feel free to believe it anyway.
     And the kids who never get in trouble in the first place?  Consider it economic stimulus.  They should be required to save a percentage of it to pay for hearing aids that they will need later after years of being exposed to loud music and heavy bass.
     That's my plan.  Feel free to nominate me for senate in 2016.