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Just days after laying off 66 probation officer to save money, the state is making plans to spend $100,000 dollars to upgrade TV’s in the state prison system.

The money would be used for digital converter boxes for the February digital switch. State Senator Al Lawson said keeping the TV’s on will help correction officers control the prisoners.

“The 100,000 might be well spent if you can keep people from getting into trouble and causing problems because corrections is short handed, but to put 10 million dollars into a pilot program, you can hire a whole lot of people,” said Lawson.

Lawson is asking the governor to veto a small business loan program passed by the legislature during special session, and use the 10 million dollars to rehire the out-of-work probation officers.