Pew Center on the States, part of the Pew Charitable Trusts released a report (pdf) this week examining the prison population in the United States. One of the most shocking findings was that one percent of the population is behind bars. While 1 in 100 is bad enough, the breakdown of the prison population is even more startling. It’s not surprising that the prisoners are mostly male nor that there are more blacks than whites in prison, but the numbers put these facts in sobering relief – 1 in 30 males between 20 and 34 are incarcerated, but for blacks that ratio jumps to 1 in 9. Similar disparities exist for black women who are 4 times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts. As well those in their 20s much more likely to be jailed than those who are over 40.
All those prisoners cost money. In 1987 the sum of state spending was 10.6 billion. In 2007, it was 44 billion, an adjusted increase of 127%. Compare this with an increase of 27% on higher education over the same period.
Yet, these costs haven’t kept pace with the rise in prison population, which has increased 300% over the same time. We lead the world in both real and per capita lockups. Russia locks up 1 per 200, China 1 per 1000. Even Iran imprisons a smaller percentage of their population
Florida’s prison population has risen from 53,000 to 97,000 in fifteen years. Growing population and crime rates have probably contributed to this rise but most analysts attribute it to law changes that require a prisoner to server 85% of his time regardless of good behavior, the “zero tolerance” laws, and the mandate that probation officers report every violation, no matter how insignificant. At this rate Florida will run out of capacity within a year.
The costs feeding, clothing and tending a prisoner ranges from about $13,000 (LA) to almost $45,000 (RI). Add in buildings and maintenance and the approximate typical cost rises to $65,000 per prisoner. In addition to the rise in medical cost in general, communicable diseases spread quickly in a close and captive population. Hepatitis C, for instance, is estimated to infect from 25% to 40% of prisoners. In 2004, 1.8% of inmates tested positive for HIV. Curiously, people with HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis seem to spend more time in prison. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, each year 25% of HIV-infected, 33% of hepatitis C infected and 40% of those with active tuberculosis spend some time in a correctional facility.
Old prisoners cost more to maintain than do younger ones. From 1992 to 2001 the number of inmates aged 50 or more increased 173% and it it’s projected to reach one third of all inmates by 2010. Older convicts are often preyed upon by younger ones and may need special housing or protection. Obviously, they also suffer from the common age-related maladies of incontinence, restrictions in diet, hearing and visual impairment. As a result, the cost of an older prisoner can be two to three times that of a younger one.
All these costs are direct and immediate, but the burden of incarceration reaches far into the community. Inmates don’t pay taxes, they don’t pay child support and they don’t pay victim restitution. Families of inmates often turn to welfare. Of the 2 million children with one or both parents in prison, 55,000 of them wind up in foster care.
How can this population be increasing? According to the FBI, violent crime is down 32% since 1995, property crime down 23%. The answer is drugs. Federal law punishes any amount of marijuana with up to 1 year and a minimum fine of $1000. A second offense carries a mandatory prison sentence. Distribution of paraphernalia can result in three years in prison. State laws are often more strict. In Florida, for instance, a person can spend five years in jail for possession of less than an ounce of pot. Sell it near a school, college or park and the sentence is 15 years.
This is the cost of the War on Drugs.
Posted by Mugly 