Lysbeth
07-31-2003, 05:57 PM
Horrifying New U.S. Incarceration Record; Drug War is Chief Cause
by James W. Harris
New Justice Department statistics show that the number of people behind bars in America has skyrocketed to yet another incredible record high -- despite a slight *drop* in overall crime. The chief reason: the War on Drugs.
The U.S. imprisons more of its citizens than any other country in the world, both in absolute numbers and per capita, according to The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes alternatives to prison. The U.S. rate of incarceration is 5-8 times that of most industrialized nations.
The figures are astonishing. The U.S. inmate population in 2002 hit 2,033,331 -- a 2.6 percent increase from 2001.
This means that about one of every 143 U.S. residents was in federal, state or local custody by the end of 2002. About one in 110 U.S. men are in prison.
Incredibly, more than 10% of African-American males between the ages of 24 and 29 were imprisoned last year. 5.4% of adult black males of all ages -- that's 1 out of 19 -- are imprisoned on any given day. Black men make up
about 45 percent of all inmates serving sentences longer than a year.
U.S. prison and jail populations have gone up steadily for fully 30 years, The chief reason: the War on Drugs and Drug War-spawned laws, including mandatory sentencing laws and "three strikes" laws that can put repeat offenders behind bars for life for nonviolent drug offenses.
More than half of all federal prisoners are drug offenders -- more than 151,600, up 4.2% from 2001. Because of this, in 2002 the federal system became the largest prison system in the country. Drug offenders account for 47.5% of the U.S.'s total prison population growth from 1995-2001. The imprisonment of people for victimless crimes is of course abhorrent to liberty. Further, the rush to imprison ever larger numbers of Americans also has huge costs for taxpayers. The Sentencing Project estimates that incarcerating a single individual costs about $20,000 per year. That adds up to about $40 billion nationwide. Each prison cell costs about $100,000 to construct.
The federal prisons and almost all state corrections systems are overfilled -- so expect billions more dollars spent on construction, unless there is a dramatic change in policy.
Sources: The Sentencing Project:
www.sentencingproject.org
Associated Press:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/6398836.htm
by James W. Harris
New Justice Department statistics show that the number of people behind bars in America has skyrocketed to yet another incredible record high -- despite a slight *drop* in overall crime. The chief reason: the War on Drugs.
The U.S. imprisons more of its citizens than any other country in the world, both in absolute numbers and per capita, according to The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes alternatives to prison. The U.S. rate of incarceration is 5-8 times that of most industrialized nations.
The figures are astonishing. The U.S. inmate population in 2002 hit 2,033,331 -- a 2.6 percent increase from 2001.
This means that about one of every 143 U.S. residents was in federal, state or local custody by the end of 2002. About one in 110 U.S. men are in prison.
Incredibly, more than 10% of African-American males between the ages of 24 and 29 were imprisoned last year. 5.4% of adult black males of all ages -- that's 1 out of 19 -- are imprisoned on any given day. Black men make up
about 45 percent of all inmates serving sentences longer than a year.
U.S. prison and jail populations have gone up steadily for fully 30 years, The chief reason: the War on Drugs and Drug War-spawned laws, including mandatory sentencing laws and "three strikes" laws that can put repeat offenders behind bars for life for nonviolent drug offenses.
More than half of all federal prisoners are drug offenders -- more than 151,600, up 4.2% from 2001. Because of this, in 2002 the federal system became the largest prison system in the country. Drug offenders account for 47.5% of the U.S.'s total prison population growth from 1995-2001. The imprisonment of people for victimless crimes is of course abhorrent to liberty. Further, the rush to imprison ever larger numbers of Americans also has huge costs for taxpayers. The Sentencing Project estimates that incarcerating a single individual costs about $20,000 per year. That adds up to about $40 billion nationwide. Each prison cell costs about $100,000 to construct.
The federal prisons and almost all state corrections systems are overfilled -- so expect billions more dollars spent on construction, unless there is a dramatic change in policy.
Sources: The Sentencing Project:
www.sentencingproject.org
Associated Press:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/6398836.htm