priority problems

Just an interesting tidbit here, from a Molly Ivans article about Harry Whittington (and his getting shot by Dick Cheney):

Texas still keeps the nonviolent, the retarded, senior citizens, etc. locked up for ridiculous periods--all at taxpayer expense. If we could ever get to where we spend as much per pupil on education as we do per prisoner, this state would take off like a rocket. In 2003, we spend nearly $15,000 per prisoner, while average per-pupil spending was just over $8,000.

Now how much sense does that make. And how much quibbling is there ever about the funding of prisons?