Why Are So Many Americans in Prison? (Hint. Not the WOD)

Slate ^ | 02/06/2015 | By Leon Neyfakh

[DannyTN]

So if 4 out of five prisoners are there for property or violent offences, the possible causes include:

• Video cameras are making prosecutions easier and more accurate. That could explain why we are getting more successful prosecutions on fewer arrests.
• Increased DA aggressiveness was suspected in the article.
• I suspect, increased desperation from two sources. The economy, since we've off-shored so many jobs.
• And the pressures created by Divorce courts insistance on creating a winner and a loser, which has increased the stakes in divorce fights making them more vicious and bitter. Solutions:
• Raise the import tariffs and restore American jobs. People are far less desperate when they can make a living.
• Reform divorces nation wide with "Presumption of equal custody". It'd reduce the fight and the sense of unfairness in divorce battles.
• Place a four year hold on prosecuting attorneys being able to seek political office. That could reduce the usage of a "tough DA" as a political platform.
• Make financial relief for those under court ordered child support arrangements faster and easier for people losing their jobs or affected by adverse economic events.
• I hate to take schools any further away from the 3 r's, but maybe we need anger management and conflict resolution classes along the way.

[DannyTN]

What the article didn’t address was how much of the prison population are illegals. Closing the border and deporting is also a valid strategy.

[Responsibility2nd]

That’s easy. It’s LBJ’s “War on Poverty.”

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Correctamundo. You’re like the 4th person so far to pick up on that point.

I hate LBJ. He is our worst president ever.

[DiogenesLamp]

I hate LBJ. He is our worst president ever.

Well, up until this current one.

[Ransomed]

I wonder what the recidivism rate did between 1980 and now. If someone worked in the prison industry, would they want the recidivism rate to be high or low? Would they want the prisoner’s experience in prison to lead to a greater chance of committing crime once they are out or a lesser chance? If you wanted a high recidivism rate, what kinds of experiences would you want people to have in prison and what would you allow to happen?

Freegards

[VanShuyten]

From the article:

“Well, the real growth in the prison population comes from county-level district attorneys sending violent people to prison.”

It’s the old “Why are so many people in prison if the crime rate is going down?” saw.

[Responsibility2nd]

Yep. As I’ve pointed out before, the screw ups of LBJ continue to tear this country apart even today.

I can only imagine (in my worst nightmares) how the after effects of Obastard’s (p)residency will harm America years after the POS has left office.

[CodeToad]

Slate? No thanks. Liberal garbage.

Second, the comments you did post didn’t really say anything. It actually supported that the WOD is the cause.

[Marie Antoinette]

I already know. It’s our population of mentally ill, the ones that would’ve been housed in asylums. It’s very sad.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

No one wants to go to Slate and have their minds polluted.

[Responsibility2nd]

It’s the old “Why are so many people in prison if the crime rate is going down?” saw.

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Heh heh. The crime rates are down because all the criminals that commit crimes are already in prison.

Works for me.

[sakic]

So, in your opinion, the Civil Rights Act was a giant negative for the country?

If it had not been enacted, we would be in far worse shape, today.

[Responsibility2nd]

Yep. One of the (many) comments at the link ID’d mental illness as a key reason for higher prison rates.

[Responsibility2nd]

So. You didn’t click the link. You didn’t read the article.

And you even lie when you say the WOD is the cause. (FTA. OK. So if it’s not the drug war, and it’s not harsh sentencing laws, what is it? What do you think caused the prison boom?)

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Gee. You’re 0 for 3. Or to put it another way. You’re batting a thousand for stupid erroneous replies.

[wardaddy]

That’s not true
More folks serving longer sentences for crimes that had less time served before

The 1984 Congressional Sentencing Guidelines

Mostly designed for drugs but included all crimes

The Feds implemented it in 1987 and the effect mostly for drugs was exponential.....still is

With passing years many states did the same

Increased penalties across the board

Stopped parole

Increased how much of sentence must be served.... in Feds it’s vested annually at 54 days good time or around 87-90% of sentence to be served

With States doing this too with ALL crimes now it’s bloated our prison population

I know this saddens many here who’d prefer to simply hang any felon

Drug sentencing was for sure the catalyst and is the big chunk federally

Not sure how it breaks down state wise

Used to be any drug deal worth a damn merited federal prosecution

Then gun enhancements got thrown in with relatively minor crack charges and turned federal incarceration stats and populace upside down

[Responsibility2nd]

Really?!?

The Civil Rights Act has been one of the biggest frauds in our nations history. It established a permanent underclass with special right and privileges and was the cornerstone of the Great (Welfare) Society.

Read this SCOTUS decision. No longer relevant.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/25/court-past-voting-discrimination-no-longer-held/?page=all

Additionally, The Civil Rights Act is now the template for illegals being given the green flag.

[sakic]

So, blacks shouldn’t have been given the right to vote?

How the law may have been used since then is a different issue.

The War on Poverty was bull. The War on Drugs is bull. Wars by our government against its citizens are all bull.

[oh8eleven]

If it had not been enacted, we would be in far worse shape, today.
BS. All it did was elevate a special class of people (i.e. "victims") to damn near untouchable status.
We also got busing, affirmative action, multiple generations on welfare for life, Section 8, etc., shoved down our throats.
Don't forget - theys gots rights.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It was a pity that Bill never got any post-incarseration training, except how to bind books or beat auto fenders back in shape. You'd think that this would be the point of being taken out of the general population for a period of years, sure to rejoin society at some point...

[Responsibility2nd]

So, blacks shouldn’t have been given the right to vote?

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You’re confusing the Civil Rights Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

with the Voting Rights Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965