Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Jails and Prisons - The System Today
There are a few things we know about jails and prisons.
We know that prison produces more criminals than it cures. We know that more than 70 percent of the inmates in the nation's prisons and jails are not there for the first time. We know that prison inmates are denied autonomy and privacy and subjected to indignities, mortifications, and acts of violence as regular features of their confinement-all of which is heightened by overcrowding.
"On June 30, 2002, 1,426,118 prisoners were under Federal and State jurisdiction, which includes inmates in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system but held outside its facilities. During the 12-month period ending June 3o, 2002, the number under State jurisdiction rose by 0.9%, while the number under Federal jurisdiction rose by 5.8%". For the first time ever, the entire number of people incarcerated reached over 2 million. The problem of prison and jail overcrowding has become epidemic, especially in states like Texas and California. The problem is complex, but researchers have identified certain areas of the criminal justice system which have contributed more to overcrowding than others, but first it is important to amass the scope of the problem by looking at the recent statistics.
The Stats
The following statistics are the most recent available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin.
At midyear 2002 local jail authorities held or supervised 737,912 offenders. Ten Percent of these offenders (72,437) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as community service, work release, weekend reporting, electric monitoring, and other alternative programs.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons became the largest system at midyear 2002.
An estimated 12% of black males, 4% of Hispanic males, and 1.6% of white males in their twenties and early thirties were in prison or jail.
At midyear 2002, a total of 3.055 State prisoners were under age 18. Adult jails held a total of 7,248 persons under age 18.
The number of inmates in custody in local jails rose by 34,235; in State prison by 12,440; and in Federal prison by 8,042.
During this same period the Federal prison system grew at a rate of 8.1%, the State prison system rose at a rate of 3.0%, and local jails rose at a rate of 4.3%.
The Nation's prison and jail population exceeded 2 million inmates for the first time in 2002.
These statistics are just a taste of the state of our corrections system. The numbers seem hopeless at first, but a more thorough review of the people who are going to prisons and jails and why they are going there reveals a different picture. It would seem from the statistics that this nation is in the midst of a crime epidemic, but criminal justice policy aided by the media has had the tendency to make things look worse than they really are.
We know that prison produces more criminals than it cures. We know that more than 70 percent of the inmates in the nation's prisons and jails are not there for the first time. We know that prison inmates are denied autonomy and privacy and subjected to indignities, mortifications, and acts of violence as regular features of their confinement-all of which is heightened by overcrowding.
"On June 30, 2002, 1,426,118 prisoners were under Federal and State jurisdiction, which includes inmates in custody and persons under the legal authority of a prison system but held outside its facilities. During the 12-month period ending June 3o, 2002, the number under State jurisdiction rose by 0.9%, while the number under Federal jurisdiction rose by 5.8%". For the first time ever, the entire number of people incarcerated reached over 2 million. The problem of prison and jail overcrowding has become epidemic, especially in states like Texas and California. The problem is complex, but researchers have identified certain areas of the criminal justice system which have contributed more to overcrowding than others, but first it is important to amass the scope of the problem by looking at the recent statistics.
The Stats
The following statistics are the most recent available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin.
At midyear 2002 local jail authorities held or supervised 737,912 offenders. Ten Percent of these offenders (72,437) were supervised outside jail facilities in programs such as community service, work release, weekend reporting, electric monitoring, and other alternative programs.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons became the largest system at midyear 2002.
An estimated 12% of black males, 4% of Hispanic males, and 1.6% of white males in their twenties and early thirties were in prison or jail.
At midyear 2002, a total of 3.055 State prisoners were under age 18. Adult jails held a total of 7,248 persons under age 18.
The number of inmates in custody in local jails rose by 34,235; in State prison by 12,440; and in Federal prison by 8,042.
During this same period the Federal prison system grew at a rate of 8.1%, the State prison system rose at a rate of 3.0%, and local jails rose at a rate of 4.3%.
The Nation's prison and jail population exceeded 2 million inmates for the first time in 2002.
These statistics are just a taste of the state of our corrections system. The numbers seem hopeless at first, but a more thorough review of the people who are going to prisons and jails and why they are going there reveals a different picture. It would seem from the statistics that this nation is in the midst of a crime epidemic, but criminal justice policy aided by the media has had the tendency to make things look worse than they really are.
Labels: incarceration
