Poop Man Bob Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/04/06/prison.po...n.ap/index.html Record 2 million in jails, prisons http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/US/04/06/prison.population.ap/story.prison.population.jpg'> WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of people in U.S. prisons and jails last year topped 2 million for the first time, driven by get-tough sentencing policies that mandate long terms for drug offenders and other criminals, the government reported Sunday. The federal government accounted for more inmates than any state, with almost 162,000, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of the Justice Department. That number includes the transfer of about 8,900 District of Columbia prisoners to the federal system. California, Texas, Florida and New York were the four biggest state prison systems, mirroring their status as the most populous states. But Texas, California, New York, Illinois and five other states saw their inmate populations drop compared with the year before as prison releases outpaced admissions. Some states modified parole rules to deal with steep budget shortfalls, leading to an overall growth rate in state prison populations of just under 1 percent from June 2001 to June 2002. The federal prison population grew by 5.7 percent. The total inmate population on June 30, 2002, was 2.1 million, an increase of 2.8 percent from the year before. Two-thirds were in federal or state prisons, with the other third held in jails, the report said. The report did not count all juvenile offenders, which if included in the past would have driven the nation's inmate population over the 2 million mark years ago. But the report did note that there were more than 10,000 inmates under age 18 held in adult prisons and jails last year. Malcolm Young, executive director of The Sentencing Project, said the increase continues a prison growth trend stemming from tough penalties meted out to drug abusers and traffickers as well as "three strikes" laws that can mandate life sentences for repeat offenders. "It's part of the get-tough scheme. It's been going on for 30 years," said Young, whose nonprofit organization advocates alternatives to incarceration, such as drug courts and treatment programs. This is especially true at the federal level, where efforts to reduce sentences for such crimes as crack cocaine trafficking -- far higher than sentences for dealing in powder cocaine -- have failed in Congress. The Supreme Court this month upheld California's "three strikes" law even though the defendant's final crime involved theft of golf clubs. Attorney General John Ashcroft has pushed for tougher prison sentences, including a recent directive barring many people convicted of white-collar and nonviolent crimes from doing their time in halfway houses. "The prospect of prison, more than any other sanction, is feared by white-collar criminals and has a powerful deterrent effect," Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson said in a memo announcing the change. Young said it has not been smart politics for Democrats or Republicans to push for more lenient sentences, particularly for violent crimes. "No politician is going to say 'I'm for shorter sentences for people who have done violent things,"' he said. The report's other findings: The incarceration rate, counting state and federal prisoners sentenced to more than one year, was 474 for every 100,000 U.S. residents, compared with 472 the year before. That means 1 in every 142 U.S. residents was in prison or jail in mid-2002. Jails supervised about 738,000 people in June 2002, compared with about 702,000 a year earlier. Many people in jails are awaiting trials or transfer to other facilities, while some serve short sentences there or are housed there because of state prison overcrowding. More than 72,400 jail inmates were supervised under programs such as drug treatment, electronic monitoring, community service or home detention. About 12 percent of all black males in the United States between the ages 20 and 39 were in prison or jail, by far the highest single group. In contrast, 4 percent of Hispanic males and 1.6 percent of white males in that age group were incarcerated. The number of women in federal and state prison topped 96,000, an increase of 1.9 percent from 2001. Men in these prisons totaled 1.3 million, up about 1.4 percent, and men also total about 88 percent of jail populations on a given day. Perhaps its time the system finally admitted its shortcomings and reexamined itself. A 1:142 ratio is ridiculous and depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandola Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 yea, i saw that on those little things that pass by at the bottom of the screen on one of those news channels. i think they need to stop locking people up for stupid shit, like drug usage and johns. also stop locking kids up for graffiti. it's not that bad of a thing. it's just paint. paint never hurt nobody. except for my homey. he got some paint in his eye one time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Something VERY interesting: http://www.3dspline.com/gallery/-=-/Kevin%20O'Shea/Bohdrans.jpg'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Europe Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Land of the free... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeetNIK Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Ive been reading about this, Im sure at least a few people have heard about William Upski Wimsatt, his books are really good, they help you think about things in a different way. present new ideas and stuff. check out his book no more prisons, and his other one called bomb the suburbs: http://www.softskull.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart....6548+1049820549 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poop Man Bob Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iloveboxcars Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 if they stopped doing illegal things they wouldn't be in jail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WebsterUno Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 *Thank YOU!* Originally posted by Æ° Yeah, people who use drugs aren't criminals, they're sick. Sick people don't get better in jail. Fuckin stupid. Yes, yes...bump...Im a parent, I feel this shit for real!!! My beef-Why are so many of our schools diminishing, while so many of our prisons are getting refurbished?!?!?!?! 'The fuck is up with that shit!! I have to donate glue sticks, and hand soap to my kids school, cuzz they cant afford it. Did you know, in one prison, they have a robotical shower, that goes cell to cell, giving each inmate a shower! For their protection. Theyre criminals! I can see that yeah, laws are incriminating people for stupid shit, but it seems like they want us in there. They make it all plush, making it like club fucking med! Who the fuck wants to leave? Free grub, free housing, showers, TV, weights, YOU CAN GET LAID!!! Drugs, money, its all there! Thats why so many keep going back. They get institutionalized, and like it. Sad truth. They need to make it harder, so people wont go back. And offer rehab instead of jail time for drug offender. Jail should be for murderers, rapists, molestors, and the like. Real criminals. And whats up with Federal prisons? Where they house 'White Collar' criminals, for federal offenses? Those are the most prettiest! huh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metallix Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 http://www.policestate21.com/images/aps_top.gif'> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krie Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 prison would really suck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 http://www.3dspline.com/gallery/Bruce%20Johnston/fireplace.gif'> never no more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeetNIK Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Originally posted by razeagainst -NO MORE PRISONS- <<everyone start writing that you know whats up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac ying Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Re: *Thank YOU!* Originally posted by WebsterUno My beef-Why are so many of our schools diminishing, while so many of our prisons are getting refurbished?!?!?!?! 'The fuck is up with that shit!! I have to donate glue sticks, and hand soap to my kids school, cuzz they cant afford it. Did you know, in one prison, they have a robotical shower, that goes cell to cell, giving each inmate a shower! For their protection. Theyre criminals! I can see that yeah, laws are incriminating people for stupid shit, but it seems like they want us in there. They make it all plush, making it like club fucking med! Who the fuck wants to leave? Free grub, free housing, showers, TV, weights, YOU CAN GET LAID!!! Drugs, money, its all there! Thats why so many keep going back. They get institutionalized, and like it. Sad truth. They need to make it harder, so people wont go back. And offer rehab instead of jail time for drug offender. Jail should be for murderers, rapists, molestors, and the like. Real criminals. And whats up with Federal prisons? Where they house 'White Collar' criminals, for federal offenses? Those are the most prettiest! huh! true about schools, its a shame. and its also true they want you in there. but theres no way the correctional system is like club med. not that it cant happen or doesnt exist, but most prisons are hardcore hell holes. ever been locked for a few days? probably, and it sucks. whens the last time walking 20 feet felt so good? the moral of the story is, dont let us catch you fucking up. the correctional system, in my opinion, is the only real reason for an american to hate america. your born poor, your average cant make it out, welfare. america will support you, meagerly and it will suck, but youll eat. or you can go for a golden goose, lets say sell drugs, for real, in the ill neighborhoods. either you get killed or end up in jail. or you get rich, your odds arent good, but it happens. or you can be a minor player in the wrong place at the wrong time and lose years of your life in a caged war. theres alot of desperate poor people in the world, and in jail. its sad, its a fact of life. then again theres alot of people that are straight criminals and can even manipulate prison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esai Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Soy Huero de prison industrial complex locos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumPuncher Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 here's a conspiracy theory... if you have a climinal record, you cant vote. That's why so many black voters didn't get a chance to vote for Gore in Florida. So if the 'war on drugs' can remove the voting rights from so many africans, latinos and leftists, then only the moral bible-belt conservatives will be left to decide the future of the nation. Scary no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WebsterUno Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 *believe* you know what gets me. I went to mexico a few times. The last time I was there, I noticed something, WE got it FUCKING GOOD! Too good! Jail, is fucking jail out there. Smell like piss and vomit. Black rot iron bars, cold. Soldiers, not cops, or C.O.s We have it too good. School, HA! School is free here, yet kids keep dropping out. Instead of taking advantage, they miss school to do stupid shit. OPEN YOUR EYES ESE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WebsterUno Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Originally posted by Kilo7- here's a conspiracy theory...Scary no? Lets not forget about Cali's 3 Strikes Law! "The fact I have melanin automatically makes me a felon"! -Jeru the Damaja Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villain Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 One of my favorite slogans from the days of yore... "LEGALIZE FREEDOM" Prison is big business.... Last time I checked it was the second largest and quickly overtaking first. We got more prisons than motherfucking China! That should tell you something. It's like slavery all over again. I feel for yall staying in this country. I'm out. Hellooo Korean onion rings. Peace, motherfuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModelCitizen Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 So this means 0 out of every 141 Americans are in jail. NOT BAD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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