Jails/prisons hold 1%+ of Americans

[Jenna]

More than one in 100 adults Americans is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal government, according to a report released today.

With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.

The ballooning prison population is largely the result of tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s. Minorities have been hit particularly hard: One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women age 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 white women in the same age group.

While studies generally find that imprisoning more offenders reduces crime, the effect is influenced by changes in the unemployment rate, wages, the ratio of police officers to residents, and the share of young people in the population.

In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.

Florida, which nearly doubled its prison population over the past 15 years, has experienced a smaller drop in crime than New York, which, after a brief increase, reduced its number of inmates to below the 1993 level.

"There is no question that putting violent and chronic offenders behind bars lowers the crime rate and provides punishment that is well deserved," said Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Center's Public Safety Performance Project and one of the study's authors. "On the other hand, there are large numbers of people behind bars who could be supervised in the community safely and effectively at a much lower cost -- while also paying taxes, paying restitution to their victims, and paying child support."

About 91 percent of incarcerated adults are under state or local jurisdiction, and the report documents the tradeoffs state governments have faced as they have devoted ever larger shares of their budgets to house them. For instance, over the past two decades, state spending on corrections (adjusted for inflation) increased by 127 percent, while spending on higher education rose by 21 percent. For every dollar Virginia spends on higher education, it now spends about 60 cents on corrections. Maryland spends 74 cents on corrections per higher-education dollar.

Despite reaching its latest milestone, the nation's incarcerated population has actually been growing far more slowly since 2000 than during the 1990s, when the spate of harsher sentencing laws began to take effect. These included a 1986 federal law mandating prison terms for crack cocaine offenses that were up to eight times as long as for those involving powder cocaine. In the early 1990s, states across the nation adopted "three-strikes-you're-out" laws and curtailed the discretion parole boards have in deciding when to release an inmate. As a result, between 1990 and 2000, the prison population swelled by about 80 percent, increasing by as much as 86,000 per year.

By contrast, from 2007 to 2008, the prison population increased by 25,000 -- a 2 percent rise. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has issued decisions giving judges more leeway under mandatory sentencing laws, and a number of states, including Texas, are seeking to reduce their incarcerated population by adopting alternative punishments.

"Some of these [measures] would have been unthinkable five years ago," noted Gelb. "But the bottom line is that states have to balance their budgets."

By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 28, 2008; 11:57 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

[lewisipso]

In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population --

Oh. Non violent criminals. Like narcotics violators. The folks that support billions of dollars a year drug trade based on violence. Or how about burglars. That's a non violent criminal. Until he or she is discovered and kill the resident. And of course there's the peeping tom. He's the one that no one suspects to be a violent serial rapist and murderer. After all peeping is a non violent crime.

alternative punishments such as community supervision (probation) and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.

Ahhh yes the alternative punishment. Community supervision. Or probation as we like to call it. Works wonders until the person on probation commits another crime or two and gets more probation and then just stops reporting to the probation officer. They just terminate the probation unsatisfactory and release the offender back to society. And those 30 to 90 day rehab's work wonders don't they? Very successful. Also not to be forgotten is the ever effective ankle braclet, commonly refered to as house arrest. Anyone remember the thread here about the high school football player photographed in the game with the braclet on? Another obvious successful program.

These ideas are drummed up by people not in the know or people that are and want to cut a dollar. There are no easy solutions. I know this. However, "alternative" punishments are only effective under proper utilization. Again I'd like to see these dumbasses come out on the street and see the frustration the public is dealing with before they could be allowed to make such horseshit statements.
1% of the population incarcerated? I know quite a few that need to help put it up to 2%.

[countybear]

Keep building them. We'll keep filling them.

[BigDawg]

"If you build them, they will come."

We'll see to it.


Think of it this way Jenna; Building and running the prisons helps the local economy, would you want to deprive all those people their incomes??

[MacLean]

In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.

Tell that expensive lie to the three police officers killed in Washington State in 2007 by people on community supervision.

Posting something like this in Washington right now would likely result in being tarred and feathered.

[Just KC]

We are waaaaaaaaaay overdue for a new dispatch center. They finally agreed to build it, and man was it gonna be awesome! They were suppose to break ground this year. Well we just found out that the money is going to building a new jail instead. Sucks....but gotta go with the priority.

[Five-0]

With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.

China shoots criminals and charges their families for the bullets. Some offenses here could be handled in the same fashion about 2 days after final appeals.

The ballooning prison population is largely the result of tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s. Minorities have been hit particularly hard: One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women age 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 white women in the same age group.

WTF http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8

While studies generally find that imprisoning more offenders reduces crime, the effect is influenced by changes in the unemployment rate, wages, the ratio of police officers to residents, and the share of young people in the population.

In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.

See China's alternative.

Florida, which nearly doubled its prison population over the past 15 years, has experienced a smaller drop in crime than New York, which, after a brief increase, reduced its number of inmates to below the 1993 level.

"There is no question that putting violent and chronic offenders behind bars lowers the crime rate and provides punishment that is well deserved," said Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Center's Public Safety Performance Project and one of the study's authors. "On the other hand, there are large numbers of people behind bars who could be supervised in the community safely and effectively at a much lower cost -- while also paying taxes, paying restitution to their victims, and paying child support."

Right....because the criminals are responsible adults that add to society as a whole.

About 91 percent of incarcerated adults are under state or local jurisdiction, and the report documents the tradeoffs state governments have faced as they have devoted ever larger shares of their budgets to house them. For instance, over the past two decades, state spending on corrections (adjusted for inflation) increased by 127 percent, while spending on higher education rose by 21 percent. For every dollar Virginia spends on higher education, it now spends about 60 cents on corrections. Maryland spends 74 cents on corrections per higher-education dollar.

Maybe if we incarcerate or again take China's lead, we will have less active shooters at places of higher learning.

Despite reaching its latest milestone, the nation's incarcerated population has actually been growing far more slowly since 2000 than during the 1990s, when the spate of harsher sentencing laws began to take effect. These included a 1986 federal law mandating prison terms for crack cocaine offenses that were up to eight times as long as for those involving powder cocaine. In the early 1990s, states across the nation adopted "three-strikes-you're-out" laws and curtailed the discretion parole boards have in deciding when to release an inmate. As a result, between 1990 and 2000, the prison population swelled by about 80 percent, increasing by as much as 86,000 per year.

By contrast, from 2007 to 2008, the prison population increased by 25,000 -- a 2 percent rise. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has issued decisions giving judges more leeway under mandatory sentencing laws, and a number of states, including Texas, are seeking to reduce their incarcerated population by adopting alternative punishments.

"Some of these [measures] would have been unthinkable five years ago," noted Gelb. "But the bottom line is that states have to balance their budgets."

By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 28, 2008; 11:57 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

Being soft on criminals is good for criminals. Not for society. Sleep tight tonight......I bet someone on this board put another dreg in JAIL!!!

[countybear]

In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.

Funny, I thought this was a summary of statistics, but here we find a "guess" injected and it's not even qualified or supported by research...