CRIMINAL JUSTICE FACT SHEET
Incarceration Trends in America
- From 1980 to 2008, the number of people incarcerated in America quadrupled-from roughly 500,000 to 2.3 million people
- Today, the US is 5% of the World population and has 25% of world prisoners.
- Combining the number of people in prison and jail with those under parole or probation supervision, 1 in ever y 31 adults, or 3.2 percent of the population is under some form of correctional control
Racial Disparities in Incarceration
- African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population
- African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites
- Together, African American and Hispanics comprised 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population
- According to Unlocking America, if African American and Hispanics were incarcerated at the same rates of whites, today's prison and jail populations would decline by approximately 50%
- One in six black men had been incarcerated as of 2001. If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime
- 1 in 100 African American women are in prison
- Nationwide, African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
Drug Sentencing Disparities
- About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illicit drug
- 5 times as many Whites are using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of Whites
- African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users, but 38% of those arrested for drug offenses, and 59% of those in state prison for a drug offense.
- African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months). (Sentencing Project)
Contributing Factors
- Inner city crime prompted by social and economic isolation
- Crime/drug arrest rates: African Americans represent 12% of monthly drug users, but comprise 32% of persons arrested for drug possession
- "Get tough on crime" and "war on drugs" policies
- Mandatory minimum sentencing, especially disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine possession
- In 2002, blacks constituted more than 80% of the people sentenced under the federal crack cocaine laws and served substantially more time in prison for drug offenses than did whites, despite that fact that more than 2/3 of crack cocaine users in the U.S. are white or Hispanic
- "Three Strikes"/habitual offender policies
- Zero Tolerance policies as a result of perceived problems of school violence; adverse affect on black children.
- 35% of black children grades 7-12 have been suspended or expelled at some point in their school careers compared to 20% of Hispanics and 15% of whites
Effects of Incarceration
- Jail reduces work time of young people over the next decade by 25-30 percent when compared with arrested youths who were not incarcerated
- Jails and prisons are recognized as settings where society's infectious diseases are highly concentrated
- Prison has not been proven as a rehabilitation for behavior, as two-thirds of prisoners will re offend
Exorbitant Cost of Incarceration: Is it Worth It?
- About $70 billion dollars are spent on corrections yearly
- Prisons and jails consume a growing portion of the nearly $200 billion we spend annually on public safety
8 comments:
Drug Sentencing Disparities-
"In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 which, amongst other things, created a 100 to 1 sentencing disparity for crack vs. powder cocaine possession, which some people consider to be a racist law which discriminates against minorities,] who are more likely to use crack than powder cocaine. People convicted in federal court of possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine will receive a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in federal prison. On the other hand, possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine carries the same sentence. Some other authors, however, have pointed out that the Congressional Black Caucus backed the law"
These are simply the results of the underlying problems....
The societies that have an intact family structure statistically have:
1. Lower rates of criminal conduct
2. Higher rates of HS graduation
3. Higher rates of literacy
4. Better communication skills
All of which lead to better employment opportunities (dismissing Affirmative Action and other gimme programs).
I know of a number of Black / Hispanic / White individuals from broken family units as well as intact family units...that bear out my statements above.
The societies themselves need to rebuild their structures - it can't be legislated...especially by the groups we elect - they would allow people to marry their dogs if it would get another vote!
Without sounding like bashing democrats, they adhere to a philosophy of government dependency rather than education, joining the workforce and accountability. This has been the biggest problem for the past six years. Minorities have been kept down by the very government that tells them the republican party won't help them. We need to create a maximum limit on the weight of time a person can be on welfare, set a number on how many children will be covered, need a raise, have another child. Stop free phones etc. Can't keep living of off the government. So much more that could be said.
"Exorbitant Cost of Incarceration: Is it Worth It?"
This is hard. When someone goes on to murder someone you read about their extensive criminal record. It's rare that someone who has a clean record goes on to kill.
So the "Exorbitant Cost of Incarceration: Is it Worth It" question that can be asked is what about the family's of the victims? I think they may feel the "Exorbitant Cost of Incarceration" would have been worth it because it may have prevented the murder of their loved one.
1. starts and ends in the family. must have Strong families with the Father leading as a godly man.
2. must have Choice in schools. schools must step up to the plate and realize most students can learn and excel if given a chance. teachers must not be muzzled when teaching and disciplining students. expect more, get more.
3. a return to God's way would go a long way in healing this nation and it's families. crime rates would drop dramatically and we would not be dealing with the current demise of this country.
"Prison has not been proven as a rehabilitation for behavior, as two-thirds of prisoners will re offend"
To this I say-
Being able to conceive a child has not been proven to be a sign of good parental skills.
It a matter of parents not caring and then they think the prison should rehabilitate when they totally failed in parenting.
It's called passing the buck and making excuses.
The bottom line is the breakdown of the family. A family with a mother and a father who are positive role models and are in the child's life on a consistent basis. Parents who are on the same page and are consistent with disciplinary actions. Parents who do not let the child get away with small infractions like lying because this can lead to bigger problems.
This will not make people happy but if you live like an animal you should be treated like one. Economics plays a large role in these numbers. The fact is that being poor does not give one a license to steal and deal drugs. Live free and clean trust me the police will not bother you. Live dirty and you will suffer the consequences and rightfully so.
About 85% of AA children are born out of wedlock. Rarely cited statistic 'cause it can't be blamed on Caucasians.
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