We should be doing far more rehabilitation and far less incarceration. (Photo: Josh Rushing/cc/ACLU of Louisiana)
What I Learn When I Have Lunch at Cook County Jail
These are not serial murderers or rapists. They are overwhelmingly people who erred or did wrong but are not bad people.
On my birthday this year, I continued my tradition of going to the Cook County Jail to have lunch with some of the 5,552 people who are inmates there. These visits remind me of the humanity of those who are in trouble--and of the inhumanity, even idiocy, of our criminal justice system.
Despite the first steps toward prison reform, the United States still locks up a higher percentage of its population than any other country--even more than repressive nations like China. There are some 2.3 million people locked up in America in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correction facilities, 3,163 local jails, as well as what are called Indian Country Jails, immigration detention facilities and more.
In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
If prisons were a city, it would be larger than Philadelphia or Dallas, and one of the country's top 10 in population. In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
About 612,000 of this number are in local jails, but that number is misleading. A staggering 10.6 million people go to jail in any one year. Most are released shortly after posting bail or getting out without it. Over two-thirds of the people in jail have not been convicted of any crime. These are overwhelmingly poor people who cannot afford bail.
Prison and jail populations are still disproportionately people of color. African Americans are 12 percent of the country's population but 33 percent of federal and state prisons' population. Recently, from 2009 to 2016, the African-American prison population has fallen by about 17 percent, declining more rapidly than the white prison population, which is down about 10 percent. The scourge of the opioid epidemic has significantly contributed to the number of whites in trouble.
Nonviolent offenders make up a significant proportion of the incarcerated--particularly in federal prisons. State and local prisons and jails tend to have more inmates charged with property or violent crimes. Too many are there because of petty violations of the terms of their release from previous charges, not even from committing a new offense.
Inmates, almost by definition, are disproportionately low income. They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
When I break bread with these people, I always find them to be more intelligent than people think, more humane than people think, more curious and open to experience than people think.
These are not serial murderers or rapists. They are overwhelmingly people who erred or did wrong but are not bad people.
We need a lot more reform of our judicial system and particularly of our system of incarceration. We should be doing far more rehabilitation and far less incarceration.
With 10 million people going to jail each year--and the overwhelming number in jail at any one time not convicted of anything--one thing we should do is register them to vote. The inmates I spoke with were stunned to learn that they were still eligible to vote--and eager to be signed up.
If they were to be registered and to vote, they might help make a difference in the judges that get elected, in the sentences that get handed out, in the injustices that are structured into our justice system. They know better than most that while there are some truly violent people that deserve incarceration, the vast majority need a hand up, not another shackle of more debt, a bad record, a bleaker future.
Illinois, under Governor Pritzker, has set the pace. Legislation was enacted that will turn the county jail into a temporary precinct that will enable "pretrial detainees"--those who are detained but not convicted of anything -- to register and vote. That provides a model for states and localities across the country.
These are citizens who have the right to vote. We should make it possible for them to exercise that right.
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
On my birthday this year, I continued my tradition of going to the Cook County Jail to have lunch with some of the 5,552 people who are inmates there. These visits remind me of the humanity of those who are in trouble--and of the inhumanity, even idiocy, of our criminal justice system.
Despite the first steps toward prison reform, the United States still locks up a higher percentage of its population than any other country--even more than repressive nations like China. There are some 2.3 million people locked up in America in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correction facilities, 3,163 local jails, as well as what are called Indian Country Jails, immigration detention facilities and more.
In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
If prisons were a city, it would be larger than Philadelphia or Dallas, and one of the country's top 10 in population. In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
About 612,000 of this number are in local jails, but that number is misleading. A staggering 10.6 million people go to jail in any one year. Most are released shortly after posting bail or getting out without it. Over two-thirds of the people in jail have not been convicted of any crime. These are overwhelmingly poor people who cannot afford bail.
Prison and jail populations are still disproportionately people of color. African Americans are 12 percent of the country's population but 33 percent of federal and state prisons' population. Recently, from 2009 to 2016, the African-American prison population has fallen by about 17 percent, declining more rapidly than the white prison population, which is down about 10 percent. The scourge of the opioid epidemic has significantly contributed to the number of whites in trouble.
Nonviolent offenders make up a significant proportion of the incarcerated--particularly in federal prisons. State and local prisons and jails tend to have more inmates charged with property or violent crimes. Too many are there because of petty violations of the terms of their release from previous charges, not even from committing a new offense.
Inmates, almost by definition, are disproportionately low income. They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
When I break bread with these people, I always find them to be more intelligent than people think, more humane than people think, more curious and open to experience than people think.
These are not serial murderers or rapists. They are overwhelmingly people who erred or did wrong but are not bad people.
We need a lot more reform of our judicial system and particularly of our system of incarceration. We should be doing far more rehabilitation and far less incarceration.
With 10 million people going to jail each year--and the overwhelming number in jail at any one time not convicted of anything--one thing we should do is register them to vote. The inmates I spoke with were stunned to learn that they were still eligible to vote--and eager to be signed up.
If they were to be registered and to vote, they might help make a difference in the judges that get elected, in the sentences that get handed out, in the injustices that are structured into our justice system. They know better than most that while there are some truly violent people that deserve incarceration, the vast majority need a hand up, not another shackle of more debt, a bad record, a bleaker future.
Illinois, under Governor Pritzker, has set the pace. Legislation was enacted that will turn the county jail into a temporary precinct that will enable "pretrial detainees"--those who are detained but not convicted of anything -- to register and vote. That provides a model for states and localities across the country.
These are citizens who have the right to vote. We should make it possible for them to exercise that right.
On my birthday this year, I continued my tradition of going to the Cook County Jail to have lunch with some of the 5,552 people who are inmates there. These visits remind me of the humanity of those who are in trouble--and of the inhumanity, even idiocy, of our criminal justice system.
Despite the first steps toward prison reform, the United States still locks up a higher percentage of its population than any other country--even more than repressive nations like China. There are some 2.3 million people locked up in America in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correction facilities, 3,163 local jails, as well as what are called Indian Country Jails, immigration detention facilities and more.
In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
If prisons were a city, it would be larger than Philadelphia or Dallas, and one of the country's top 10 in population. In total, about $80 billion a year is spent on correction facilities, compared to the $68 billion spent by the Department of Education.
About 612,000 of this number are in local jails, but that number is misleading. A staggering 10.6 million people go to jail in any one year. Most are released shortly after posting bail or getting out without it. Over two-thirds of the people in jail have not been convicted of any crime. These are overwhelmingly poor people who cannot afford bail.
Prison and jail populations are still disproportionately people of color. African Americans are 12 percent of the country's population but 33 percent of federal and state prisons' population. Recently, from 2009 to 2016, the African-American prison population has fallen by about 17 percent, declining more rapidly than the white prison population, which is down about 10 percent. The scourge of the opioid epidemic has significantly contributed to the number of whites in trouble.
Nonviolent offenders make up a significant proportion of the incarcerated--particularly in federal prisons. State and local prisons and jails tend to have more inmates charged with property or violent crimes. Too many are there because of petty violations of the terms of their release from previous charges, not even from committing a new offense.
Inmates, almost by definition, are disproportionately low income. They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
They are "down on their luck," people struggling under the intense pressures of poverty. They tend to be people who suffer from the diseases of depression, alcoholism or drug abuse.
When I break bread with these people, I always find them to be more intelligent than people think, more humane than people think, more curious and open to experience than people think.
These are not serial murderers or rapists. They are overwhelmingly people who erred or did wrong but are not bad people.
We need a lot more reform of our judicial system and particularly of our system of incarceration. We should be doing far more rehabilitation and far less incarceration.
With 10 million people going to jail each year--and the overwhelming number in jail at any one time not convicted of anything--one thing we should do is register them to vote. The inmates I spoke with were stunned to learn that they were still eligible to vote--and eager to be signed up.
If they were to be registered and to vote, they might help make a difference in the judges that get elected, in the sentences that get handed out, in the injustices that are structured into our justice system. They know better than most that while there are some truly violent people that deserve incarceration, the vast majority need a hand up, not another shackle of more debt, a bad record, a bleaker future.
Illinois, under Governor Pritzker, has set the pace. Legislation was enacted that will turn the county jail into a temporary precinct that will enable "pretrial detainees"--those who are detained but not convicted of anything -- to register and vote. That provides a model for states and localities across the country.
These are citizens who have the right to vote. We should make it possible for them to exercise that right.