1 In 32 Americans In Jail, On Parole

FOX ^ | 11/30/06 | Kasie Hunt

[Froufrou]

A record 7 million people _ or one in every 32 American adults _ were behind bars, on probation or on parole by the end of last year, according to the Justice Department. Of those, 2.2 million were in prison or jail, an increase of 2.7 percent over the previous year, according to a report released Wednesday.

More than 4.1 million people were on probation and 784,208 were on parole at the end of 2005. Prison releases are increasing, but admissions are increasing more.

Men still far outnumber women in prisons and jails, but the female population is growing faster. Over the past year, the female population in state or federal prison increased 2.6 percent while the number of male inmates rose 1.9 percent. By year's end, 7 percent of all inmates were women. The gender figures do not include inmates in local jails.

"Today's figures fail to capture incarceration's impact on the thousands of children left behind by mothers in prison," Marc Mauer, the executive director of the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group supporting criminal justice reform, said in a statement. "Misguided policies that create harsher sentences for nonviolent drug offenses are disproportionately responsible for the increasing rates of women in prisons and jails."

From 1995 to 2003, inmates in federal prison for drug offenses have accounted for 49 percent of total prison population growth.

[Froufrou]

I prefer the method of going after the supplier. The people controlling distribution in Mexico, for example, are very scary people. Not the sort we need on the planet, to be sure. And we all know what drives them. I wish users would think of the terrorists their habits support.

[timer]

What % of iraqis/afghans are in prison, does anyone know? Anyway, an idea : medical implant chips. Ankle bracelets cost $5/day to monitor, $50/day in a cell; we radio-collar grizzly bears, wolves, etc; why not an optional locator/bio-check chip instead of jail? This would also help with potential kidnap victims. Yes, at first this sounds nazi-like, a blow to freedom, and yet YOU are the one paying $50/day to keep felons locked up. If these are real "rabbit" hard cases, you add pain chips, dead-man chips(power goes off = serotonin-sleep chemical is released into the blood stream = the guy just keels over). Obviously something has to change with 3% of the population incarcerated or on parole, what are your PRACTICAL solutions?.....As to the drug problem : another solution : implantable tubes into the brain, pumping dopamine from an ear clip-on, like hearing aids; individually prescribed by doctors. It is very energy-intensive for the body to make dopamine, thus the drug habit. Inject dopamine directly, keep people happy and smiling...and the drug business goes away. Good news for everyone except the cops/trial lawyers/judges who make a good living off of it just as the drug dealers do....

[Tulane]

Or to put it another way...

NINETY SEVEN PERCENT (97%) OF AMERICANS ARE NOT IN JAIL OR ON PROBATION: SURVEY

I guess the headline doesn't look as good that way.

[Myrddin]

It's not misguided to want to keep drugs of the street. What is misguided is the way our government is trying to accomplish this goal.

The problem with drug use is that it inevitably leads to stealing or dealing to continue the process. Theft can be as overt as burglary, robbery or shoplifting --OR-- collecting a paycheck while too impaired to properly perform the job for which your employer is paying you. The Idaho State Police routinely remove drivers of 18 wheel trucks who are under the influence of meth to "stay awake". It's not too comforting to know you are sharing the road with big rigs under the control of a meth addict.

[Tulane]

I say imprison all deadbeat parents.

And another thing: given the fact that almost 70% of black kids are born out of wedlock to young mothers (if you are black, chances are, thanks to mom and dad, you are hosed from day one), is it really that suprising the blacks are in prison more than whites or hispanics? How many Asians are in prison? How come they are never reported in surveys like this?

[Froufrou]

I've actually had some similar thoughts myself. And you haven't even addressed the cost of maintaining the facilities [jails, prisons] which, when you think of it, must be astronomical.

I think zombie movies must have been the brain-child of someone who had issues with prefrontal lobotomies...[/mind wandering]

[Stone Mountain]

I prefer the method of going after the supplier. The people controlling distribution in Mexico, for example, are very scary people. Not the sort we need on the planet, to be sure. And we all know what drives them. I wish users would think of the terrorists their habits support.

Except that hasn't worked. At all. How long have we been fighting the war on drugs? Have supplies diminished? No. Cocaine is much cheaper and easier to obtain than it was in the 80s. I don't know of any drug that is more difficult to obtain now than it was 20-30 years ago. Besides, I would prefer that people have the option and responsibility to decide what they ingest into their own bodies. I'm not a great fan of the government making personal decisions for it's citizens.

Also, you of course realize that if drugs were legalized, drug cartels would go out of business overnight. The only reason they are in business now is that illegality pushed prices to such a high point that it is profitable for them to make and export drugs.

[ColdSteelTalon]

Yep and I will bet most for non violent crime too. We have too many people in jail for stupid stuff that would be better serverd if they paid restitution and did not have a permanent mark on their criminal record which prevents them from getting a job at a McDonalds.

Yep America is a police state already and Americans are too stupid to realize it.

[Dan Evans]

Except that, when you think about it, the reverse is in play.

I'm not too sure about that. For every law that is abolished, it seems that several more are enacted. Fifty years ago it wasn't illegal to discriminate in employment, sell toilet tanks that held too much water, drive without a seat belt, etc.

[Myrddin]

Criminals routinely cut off the ankle bracelets and go about their "business". How long does it take for a violent child molester to cut off the bracelet, abduct a child, molest the child and kill the child? It can happen faster than you can detect the device has been cut off. In other words, the anklet is worthless.

The kind of surgery you propose for injecting dopamine into the brain makes $50/day look like a huge bargain. Not to mention all the legal costs as criminal sue for cruel and unusual punishment.

[the invisib1e hand]

Leaving the rest of us to, what, look for navel lint or toe jam?

Yes, of course. There is no reason for you to stand up and take the responsibility/privilige that courageous men and women throughout history sacrificed to gain for you, by which means you act to shape the government of your land for the benefit of your peers and progeny.

[Dan Evans]

We have 50% more people in prison than communist China (with 1/3 of the population).

That's because China prefers to shoot people who offend rather than incarcerate them. (and send a bill to the family for the bullet).

[Froufrou]

Also, you of course realize that if drugs were legalized, drug cartels would go out of business overnight. The only reason they are in business now is that illegality pushed prices to such a high point that it is profitable for them to make and export drugs.

Are you posturing from the assumption that being readily available would remove some of the attraction? I sooooo doubt that. The government would make the money instead of the cartels [bonus] BUT what you have then is the government making money off citizens' misfortunes. Like they do now off inheritance tax!

[Stone Mountain]

The problem with drug use is that it inevitably leads to stealing or dealing to continue the process.

No. It does this now because prices are artificially high due to the fact that drugs are illegal. They would be completely affordable, even with a big tax on them like cigarettes if they were legal. Are there people who commit crimes to get cigarettes? Sure. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to mankind. But those crimes are relatively rare and nobody is saying that the big problem with ciagrettes is that people are stealing to buy them. Drugs would be the same thing. It's not like people don't have full access to drugs anyway.

Police routinely remove drivers of 18 wheel trucks who are under the influence of meth to "stay awake". It's not too comforting to know you are sharing the road with big rigs under the control of a meth addict.

Sure. It should always be illegal to drive under the influence. The fact that truck drivers have zero problem acquiring meth should be a clue that our current system isn't working. But that's what we have now. If we treated drug addiction as a medical problem rather than a criminal problem, we would have a much better chance of getting these dangerous drivers off the road. People who want help kicking a meth addiction won't be so prone to turn themselves in and go to prison, but if there was a government supplemented program to help people get off drugs, I think it's more likely that addicts who want to kick would utilize it.

[goldstategop]

We're too harsh on criminals. Standard Drive By/MSM felon sob story.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Tulane]

If the government becam the distribution source, how long before it is sued for genocide against a certain segment of the population? Are we going to have to pay reparations for that?

[Stone Mountain]

Are you posturing from the assumption that being readily available would remove some of the attraction?

Nope. I'm saying that it being readily avaible legally would put the drug cartels out of business. Demand would probably stay about the same. After all, people who want drugs now can get them.

BUT what you have then is the government making money off citizens' misfortunes.

Like the tax on cigarettes? Or the tax on alcohol?

[Tulane]

Do we really want affordable heroin? How many heroin addicts will be employable? If they are not employed, will they not steal for food, rent etc.? Or should we make it unlawful to discriminate against a heroin addict?

[goldstategop]

Traffic tickets are usually on the record for three years. DUI's or DWI's usually remain on the record for ten years.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus