The Pew Center has released a shocking statistic: one in every 31 adults in the United States is now in the corrections system in jail, prison, probation and supervision. That is over double the rate of 1982 when one in 77 was in the system.
One in 100 is in jail in a rate that retains the position of the United States as the country with the greatest number of people incarcerated. Among the states, Georgia holds the record with one in 13 adults in the justice system. Idaho has one in 18 adults in the system and Texas has one in 22.
When broken down on race, the numbers are equally staggering. Almost ten percent of black adults are in the system while only two percent of white adults.
The financial impact is also enormous with a prison and jail population at 2.3 million in 2008 — a 274 percent increase in 25 years. The costs of this population are grown even above the rate of growth — expanding more than 300 percent in the last 20 years.
For the full story, click here.
Mike,
You think it would be a good idea to legalize drugs like herion, crack and crystal meth? I totally agree with legalizing weed but these other drugs are a bit more serious.
Chris,
Q1. War On Drugs.
Q2. End it. Decriminalize, Tax Them and put money into addiction treatment and research.
Im curious to know what you guys would attribute the rise in the prison population to and what you think some alternatives are.
Thanks for these and the CIA links.
rafflaw,
Don’t you love it? Cheney feels he’s been “assulted” by someone who wasn’t from Fox “News” telling him what he wants to hear. Meanwhile he’s assulting detainees, our populace and the Constitution.
to all thank you,
all I can say to Jills link is – stupid fing republican dumbasses.
to Buddhas link – holy shit
to Bobesq’s link – PNAC – I finally see the light.
I think I am going to be very careful who I vote for in the future. That was some mind blowing sh….t
Hey Mr. Rodgers can we clone some Ecoli today and target it to kill various undesirables that are against Truth, Justice and the American way? WTF?
Jill,
Excellent article. Thanks!
“The report … also mentions that “advanced forms of biological warfare that can ‘target’ specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool”
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a0900paxamericana#a0900paxamericana
Bron,
And what Bob said.
That being said, a database is only as valuable as it’s size and quality of data. What could possibly go wrong with the genome of the citizenry being kept in a database. It’s not like no one ever hacks. 😀
Bron,
If “Hitler had that technology it would have been an indescribable nightmare” should make the answer self-evident. You aren’t naive about human nature. In mythology/demonology knowing a demon’s true name gives you total power over it. If you think electronics have changed the world, where two guys in their garage started a computer company, wait until you get a load of the age of garage genetics. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126881.400-rise-of-the-garage-genome-hackers.html
These two words alone should scare the Hell out of you: designer virus.
Genetics are a science we ought not mess with indiscriminately or lightly without a lot of thought to outcomes both ethical and biological. The consequences of abuse compounds with the law of unintended consequences. “I Am Legend” is no longer a science fiction. We could kill ourselves or literally turn into monsters. Probably a little of both. Our DNA is our true name.
Bron,
Check this out if you have time. Here’s the abstract:
“Simoncelli and Krimsky describe the increasing use by law enforcement of DNA databanks and express concern about the civil liberties ramifications of this expansion. DNA is not like fingerprints, they argue, noting that a person’s tissue must be mined to reveal individualized information about a person well beyond that necessary for identification. DNA databanks are growing, they are being searched for characteristics such as race and familial connections, among other things, and law enforcement officials are seeking new ways to obtain the DNA of individuals. The authors assert that uses of DNA in the law enforcement context are being driven by developments in technology, rather than as a result of an informed public policy debate. They question whether the law enforcement uses of DNA databanks of the presumed innocent or the actually innocent are justified given the enormous privacy and civil liberties concerns raised. Finally, Simoncelli and Krimsky provide a brief set of recommendations to contribute to achieving an appropriate balance between law enforcement and civil liberties.”
http://www.acslaw.org/node/5338
Bron98:
“as a right wingnut, I am curious about…”
Stop right there; right wingnuts lack intellectual curiosity, much less the desire or capacity for reasoning, by definition. Accordingly you are not a right wingnut.
Please check your self-characterization and try again.
Your courtesies in connection with this matter are greatly appreciated.
To all:
as a right wingnut, I am curious about DNA typing, I am under the impression that it only looks at a couple of markers and not a persons entire DNA. How would this be more intrusive than a finger print?
And anyway I believe there is already a national data base of human dieases that anyone of you could have tissue samples at if you have had any type of biopsy.
DNA has led to many innocent people being released from prison. I think I understand the downside but I would be interested in your perspectives on this issue.
Obviously it can be used for good or evil in the wrong hands, had someone like Hitler had that technology it would have been an indescribable nightmare. It was bad enough with just some basic racial concepts.
Something, something, insert Dostoevsky quote here… etc.
I’m reminded of one of the lesser known Vonnegut novels, Hocus Pocus.
Happy “War on Drugs” everyone! Think of how we have created jobs and kept rural communities solvent, not to mention create a new industry with private jails. This was all brought to you by Ronnie Reagan and his Merry Band, funded by GE “Who Brings Good Things To Life.”
Stop cooperating.
As if this was not bad enough there is an additional issue to consider. Tania Simoncelli from the ACLU gave a disturbing talk about “prison USA”. Here’s an abstract of her talk: “On Dec. 10, 08 the DOJ issued a final rule to implement the ‘DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005,’ authorizing the collection and permanent storage of DNA from anyone arrested or non-US persons detained under federal authorities….scores of innocent people are having their DNA collected, profiled, and permanently stored by the govt….”
Her talk clearly showed the extreme racial ineqaulity of our system, how the DNA collection (other than that at the crime scene), should not be stored and how this genetic data may be used to create a very intrusive look at a person’s health profile and how the info is ripe for cementing a surveillance state.
On a serious note, how does someone like Bush escape that system…. it’s mindboggling.
Injustice for all… O brave America, land of the free.
LMAO
Yes, if there’s one industry that succeeded in creating its own market, it’s the (in)justice industry….
And now they’re even starting blogs about this BS all over the place 😉