DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum 1 In 100 Americans Behind Bars

I found this interesting. What do you guys think would be a replacement for a prison term for minor crimes and minor drug offenses (besides the obvious of rehab for drug crimes),,,,

Report Says 1 In 100 Americans Behind Bars
Tougher Sentences Cited

For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 adults in America is in jail or prison, according to a new report released Thursday.

The report by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project said 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails at the beginning of 2008, which is one out of every 99.1 adults. That's more than any other country in the world.

States spent more than $49 billion on corrections, the report said, which is up from $11 billion 20 years before.

"For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn't been a clear and convincing return for public safety," Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project said in a news release. "More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers."

According to the report, the prison population rose by more than 25,000 inmates in 2007, with 36 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons seeing population increases.

Among the seven states with the largest number of prisoners, three (Ohio, Florida and Georgia) increased in populations, while four (New York, Michigan, Texas and California) saw reductions.

Texas surpassed California as the nation's prison leader after a decline in both states' inmate populations, the report said, and Kentucky had the largest percentage increase at 12 percent.

One in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, according to recent U.S. Department of Justice data, which also shows that men are about 13 times more likely to be incarcerated than females. However, the data shows, the female population is expanding at a faster pace.

The Pew Center report noted that prison growth and higher imprisonment rates do not reflect a parallel increase in crime or a corresponding increase in the nation's overall population.

Instead, it said, tougher sentencing measures, such as the three-strikes law, are leading to longer prison stays.

"States are paying a high cost for corrections -- one that may not be buying them as much in public safety as it should," Susan K. Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said in a news release. "There are other choices. Some state policy makers are experimenting with a range of community punishments that are as effective as incarceration in protecting public safety and allow states to put the brakes on prison growth."

The report said the United States leads the world in incarcerations, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting.


Source

But this is the land of freedom....


..................isn't it?

What, the land of the free? Who ever told you that was your enemy!
Sorry, had to quote "Rage Against the Machine"

ive spent alot of money in bars and alot of money on lawyers.... but then again i can aforrd it so i like this system

Good way to contribute to the economy I guess.

Well we can go the Muslim way and start chopping the hands off of all the thieves....

Now somethin' must be done
about vengeance, a badge, and a gun
so rip the mic
rip the stage
rip the system
I was born to Rage Against them

Now action must be taken
we don't need the key, we'll break in!

wonder how many of those are dimple drug possessions?

One out of 100...hmmmm. To tell you the truth, I know a lot of people, and none have done nothing more than maybe a few hours in the drunk tank. Guess everyone is different in whom they surround themselves with.

Well for the low level, non-threat criminals, we could put them to work picking tomatoes, for punishment, and ship all the illegals back to their homeland. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

And then we cut their hands off?????

I got no patience now

So sick of complacence now

rage is so good

sick of sick of sick of....

time has come to ppaaaayyyyyyy

Legalize all drugs including heroin, meth, and crack/cocaine.

Eliminate the criminal element in drugs and also slow down the criminal activity intended to purchase expensive street drugs.

POST DELETED- MASKED PROFANITY

I see we have about 1000 members . Does that mean 10 of you guys are in the klink? I guess that explains why some of you have so many posts.

except in cincinnati, where 1 in 4 bengals is behind bars, and 1 in 5 bengal fans is behind bars

So, if you try to stop something bad, and you don't have 100% success, you're supposed to just cave in and make it legal?

1st off-----a lot like guns, drugs aren't necessarily bad---its the misuse of the drugs and guns that is bad.

Prescribe recreational drugs through legitimate pharmacies so that the amounts of drugs are controlled as will be addictions, overdoses, and many of the problems associated with drug use.

Or else you can continue wasting billions of dollars on the drug war---a war that doesn't even address the problem. The drug war is an offensive that parallels the ideas of banning guns.

We should just use the guns to kill the drug addicts and solve everything.