1% of American Population Behind Bars
 

Well kids, we have finally reached a milestone. One that no other country on earth has yet been able to achieve. Not even the most oppressive communist, fascist, Islamic fundementalist, totalitarian regimes have been able to keep up with the United States on this one. One percent of our population now lives behind bars.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/28/prison.population.ap/index.html

The steadily growing inmate population "is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime," the report said. How did it come to this? Could it be that we are jailing an increasing number of offenders for relatively minor crimes, rather than keeping recidivist criminals behind those bars? Is our corrections system "emphasizing quantity over quality"? Seems like everyone goes, but no one stays... The same revolving door works for career criminals and first time offenders alike.

I've thought for a long time that we are not locking up the right people for long enough, all the while locking up a lot of relatively minor offenders too quickly. I wonder what percentage are behind bars for "victimless" crimes. I wonder what percentage are behind bars due to our decidedly Puritan (as compared to European countries) basis regarding "moral" laws. I wonder what percentage of the prison population is put their by our failed "war on Drugs"; I've seen numbers as high as 80% of the prison population. I wonder what we can do about all of this...

No politician wants to appear "soft on crime". As such, they feel they have to criminalize things, or assign stiffer penalties to things that are already criminalized.

Yes, the "War on Drugs" plays a huge part in this. Heck, now I have to sign a log and get my drivers license scanned just to buy cough medicine. I could end up in jail if the clerk screws up.

~2% belong there.

Ayup.


Put them to work. They are capable of generating a positive cash flow for the prison system.

Why stop at 2% guys? Just think of the economic boom 4% or 5% free labor could cause. Put Joe Arpaio in charge.

We can afford it, and for the most part it is money well spent. I bet our crime rates are lower too.

If 2% is good 5% would be great right? I understand crime is doing quite well in Brooklyn, no? How can you miss this? We have a higher %age behind bars than Red China, Russia, Iran. What's wrong with this picture?

There are far too many in prison for non-violent crimes. Incarceration should be a last resort and primarily for the segregation of those who would harm others.

A guy that's behind on child support or even a deadbeat dad should not be in prison. A first offender of any drug crime should not be in prison.

I agree, make them pay their keep. License plates, work crews, etc. They shouldn't stay for free.

Jeff, you make a comment about "oppressive communist, fascist, Islamic fundementalist, totalitarian regimes". You do realize that's because most criminals DON'T MAKE IT to prison, right? A well placed bullet doesn't cost their government much, and I would guess that a good number of people "dissapear" in the countries you mention.

OK then let's compare us to more civilized cultures like GB, Germany, Canada, Holland etc. We look even worse. Guys, you do know that when someone goes to prison it has a major negative effect on their entire family, huh?

A place here in Tejas was putting criminals to work rebuild old Mustangs - problem was, these guys were hacks so the work sucked and most of the people who paid for these high priced ponies never got the sub-prime rides anyway.

But hay, you have to love the American Engine-new-aty!

I'm thinking there's only so many license plates to make. The brain of steel says New Orlenians can't drive a nail. So what kind of work will we have these convicts do, build space shuttles?

Ever hear of manual labor? Anything that can be done with simple hand tools that requires zero skill. Basically the stuff the illegals are doing today.

Great! Want some thieves, murderers & rapists putting your new roof on while you're at work?

Sadly, I believe such solid logic as this is wasted on many here.

"Every year we choose to continue this war will cost U.S. taxpayers another 69 billion dollars. Despite all the lives we have destroyed and all the money so ill spent, today illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent, and far easier to get than they were 35 years ago at the beginning of the war on drugs."

Dude, you're going to an extreme. I want licenced/bonded folks working on my roof. I don't have such drackonian requirements when it comes to picking up trash, digging ditches, mowing grass, or picking avocados.

are there any other kinds roofers? --that would be news to me.

Touche'.