Record Number of Americans in Prison

[concerned]

The artical is short but alarming news.

news.aol.com/story/_a/record-number-of-americans-in-prison/20080228163909990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Here are some highlights:

For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars.

Using state-by-state data, the report says 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison at the start of 2008 — one out of every 99.1 adults. Whether per capita or in raw numbers, it's more than any other nation.

According to the report, the average annual cost per prisoner was $23,876, with Rhode Island spending the most ($44,860) and Louisiana the least ($13,009). It said California — which faces a $16 billion budget shortfall — spent $8.8 billion on corrections last year, while Texas, which has slightly more inmates, was a distant second with spending of $3.3 billion.

"For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling," the report said. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine."

The racial disparity for women also is stark. One of every 355 white women aged 35 to 39 is behind bars, compared with one of every 100 black women in that age group.

[thelma]

I wonder how many of these that are in prison are there because of drug related crimes.

Drugs are a terriible addiction and most of these addicts need counseling and psychriatic counseling to make them understand and learn how to cope with life's "problems" without the use of drugs.

Perhaps if more money was spent on these types of programs rather than just putting these people in jail, the statistics might be lowered.

When it comes to the large dealers of drugs, those are the ones that need the prison time. Maybe if more of these types of dealers were locked up, the source of drugs could be drastically reduced.

[frankcor]

One of the causes is harsher punishment legislation, demanded for the most part, by us.

[bobbbiez]

THAT'S A BIG 10-4 GOOD BUDDY!

[dgriffin]

frankcor said:

One of the causes is harsher punishment legislation, demanded for the most part, by us.

Hmmm. Do you remember when car theft got you twenty years? Pretty harsh, back in the 1930's. Was the percentage of Americans in prison more or less then? Such may be the vagaries of statistics.
Also, I'd like to see the stats entirely by race .... no PC for me!
If .... and I stress "if"... it turned out that us white folks were pretty law-abiding and the blacks were not, at least by the numbers, then a proper discussion could be had about why that is the case and what can be done about it. It might even be a good example of why being PC prevents the solution of some problems by suppressing their discussion. Just a thought.

[bobbbiez]

Dave, a very, very good thought and I would bet the right people don't want to discuss it. Wouldn't want to hurt anyones feelings or get anyone riled up.

[rrogers40]

dgriffin said:

frankcor said:

One of the causes is harsher punishment legislation, demanded for the most part, by us.

Hmmm. Do you remember when car theft got you twenty years? Pretty harsh, back in the 1930's. Was the percentage of Americans in prison more or less then? Such may be the vagaries of statistics.
Also, I'd like to see the stats entirely by race .... no PC for me!
If .... and I stress "if"... it turned out that us white folks were pretty law-abiding and the blacks were not, at least by the numbers, then a proper discussion could be had about why that is the case and what can be done about it. It might even be a good example of why being PC prevents the solution of some problems by suppressing their discussion. Just a thought.

That should be something easy to find on the internet- Google "Crime Statistics" or something like that.

[dgriffin]

[quote That should be something easy to find on the internet- Google "Crime Statistics" or something like that.[/quote]

Hi RR:
Not that easy, I'm finding. There are so many axes being ground that it's difficult to find anything undisputed. As an example, go to this web page:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_crime

and then click on the Discussion tab.

[frankcor]

Only 32 disputes so far? I would have expected more

[corner]

ive said it before let me repeat 2% of 26% of the population is commiting 90% of the crime:: does it suggest a genetic or cultural predisposition? add it up!

[dgriffin]

I wouldn't think genetic, no. Cultural ... depends on what is meant by that word. Certainly Yes if by cultural we mean attitudes of recent generations. Such would not be unusal characteristics of any group on the low end of the socio-economic ladder. The challenge is how to get these groups to particpate in the wealth of the country without allowing cultural blackmail. It takes the folks on both sides of the chasm to get anyone across.

[Swimmy]

Despite what many may believe, we are far more racist today than ever before. Because of PC, we hide with resentment and disdain. Downtown's decline is because of Suburban Sprawl, or as geographers call White Flight. The issue is very complex and rooted in America's racist attitudes. PC certainly stops us from adequately addressing the issue. The suburbanites don't want to realize their true colors, and they don't want to be forced to pay more into the downtown areas. A lot of the crime is environment based. There a ton of stuff out there. If I'm ever going through my college notes in the basement, I'll post some of it for you.

[corner]

many of these grpoups could participate in the wealth of the country if they got a job but for many of these citizens WORK is a 4 letter word..

[bobbbiez]

I have to agree with swimmy and corner. Both stated very good and true reasons why the problem does exist.

[dgriffin]

corner said:

many of these grpoups could participate in the wealth of the country if they got a job but for many of these citizens WORK is a 4 letter word..

Corner, I feel the same way, but I think differently. I know a young woman up your way. I've known her family for years. She's smart and ambitious. Unfortunately, her family are lunk heads who never encouraged her and who found excuses to not do for her what I'm sure you would do for your daughter. She was never encouraged in school and so didn't do well. She was not properly supervised as a teen and she married and procreated before she could vote. She tries very hard, but her Walmart-type job doesn't pay very much and the dufus who fathered her child has gone back to the crack houses. She cares for her baby girl and works and is trying to attend classes when she can. She is Irish and white. She will have a tough time of it, but maybe she'll make it. Lucky for her, she isn't a member of a group that has a culture of victimization and is pandered to by politicians and educators. Imagine how much slimmer her chances would be if she were.