Jun 20, 2013
Finally, there's a sign that our national passion for locking up more and more Americans could be subsiding. Our "correctional population" is gradually shrinking after decades of robust growth.
We had 2.9 million people behind bars in 2011, down from 3.2 million in 2007, according to the Justice Department.
Well, maybe not. Even with our 1.4 percent decline the year before last, the United States leads the world in locking up hordes of its own citizens. We've got 5 percent of the world's population, but about 25 percent of the planet's prisoners.
Among rich industrialized nations, we're off the charts, incarcerating our own people at a rate that dwarfs Spain, Germany, Japan, and our other peers.
What's driving this trend? Prisoners are mostly a profit center. No, certainly not for government -- the authorities are always stuck with the tab. But it's a booming business for the many private contractors that manage and service them. These groups have become a powerful lobbying force in favor of robust growth for our incarcerated population.
Vast prison populations cause problems. Such as costing a lot of money. Legislatures balk at the costs of true rehabilitation and often cut services aimed at helping inmates get a new start. Hence, they come back.
Similarly, budget cuts lead to overcrowding and inhumane conditions. This decay sooner or later calls down the wrath of watchdog agencies, and all too soon, the courts. The American Civil Liberties Union recently filed a class-action lawsuit against a for-profit prison accused of abusing mentally ill inmates in Mississippi. The lawsuit reads like something Stephen King couldn't make up.
In California, the courts are weighing what to do about an airborne fungus that has already killed more than 30 inmates and may threaten thousands more at two state prisons.
Prisoners, obviously, suffer for their lack of a potent lobby. But so do all taxpayers. We're the ones who end up footing the bill. There's nothing new about that -- we are such suckers.
The logical fix would require putting more money and effort into securing jobs, transitional housing, and drug treatment for ex-offenders. Bruce Western, a Harvard University sociology professor, says this full-spectrum attack on recidivism would cost $7 billion. That may sound astronomical, but it's actually only one-tenth of what we're already spending to maintain the Prison-Industrial Complex at the state and federal levels.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
William Collins
OtherWords columnist William A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut.
Emily Schwartz Greco
Emily Schwartz Greco is the Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor for The Conversation. Previously, Emily was the managing editor of the OtherWords editorial service. She covered Latin America for the Bloomberg and Dow Jones news services.
Finally, there's a sign that our national passion for locking up more and more Americans could be subsiding. Our "correctional population" is gradually shrinking after decades of robust growth.
We had 2.9 million people behind bars in 2011, down from 3.2 million in 2007, according to the Justice Department.
Well, maybe not. Even with our 1.4 percent decline the year before last, the United States leads the world in locking up hordes of its own citizens. We've got 5 percent of the world's population, but about 25 percent of the planet's prisoners.
Among rich industrialized nations, we're off the charts, incarcerating our own people at a rate that dwarfs Spain, Germany, Japan, and our other peers.
What's driving this trend? Prisoners are mostly a profit center. No, certainly not for government -- the authorities are always stuck with the tab. But it's a booming business for the many private contractors that manage and service them. These groups have become a powerful lobbying force in favor of robust growth for our incarcerated population.
Vast prison populations cause problems. Such as costing a lot of money. Legislatures balk at the costs of true rehabilitation and often cut services aimed at helping inmates get a new start. Hence, they come back.
Similarly, budget cuts lead to overcrowding and inhumane conditions. This decay sooner or later calls down the wrath of watchdog agencies, and all too soon, the courts. The American Civil Liberties Union recently filed a class-action lawsuit against a for-profit prison accused of abusing mentally ill inmates in Mississippi. The lawsuit reads like something Stephen King couldn't make up.
In California, the courts are weighing what to do about an airborne fungus that has already killed more than 30 inmates and may threaten thousands more at two state prisons.
Prisoners, obviously, suffer for their lack of a potent lobby. But so do all taxpayers. We're the ones who end up footing the bill. There's nothing new about that -- we are such suckers.
The logical fix would require putting more money and effort into securing jobs, transitional housing, and drug treatment for ex-offenders. Bruce Western, a Harvard University sociology professor, says this full-spectrum attack on recidivism would cost $7 billion. That may sound astronomical, but it's actually only one-tenth of what we're already spending to maintain the Prison-Industrial Complex at the state and federal levels.
William Collins
OtherWords columnist William A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut.
Emily Schwartz Greco
Emily Schwartz Greco is the Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor for The Conversation. Previously, Emily was the managing editor of the OtherWords editorial service. She covered Latin America for the Bloomberg and Dow Jones news services.
Finally, there's a sign that our national passion for locking up more and more Americans could be subsiding. Our "correctional population" is gradually shrinking after decades of robust growth.
We had 2.9 million people behind bars in 2011, down from 3.2 million in 2007, according to the Justice Department.
Well, maybe not. Even with our 1.4 percent decline the year before last, the United States leads the world in locking up hordes of its own citizens. We've got 5 percent of the world's population, but about 25 percent of the planet's prisoners.
Among rich industrialized nations, we're off the charts, incarcerating our own people at a rate that dwarfs Spain, Germany, Japan, and our other peers.
What's driving this trend? Prisoners are mostly a profit center. No, certainly not for government -- the authorities are always stuck with the tab. But it's a booming business for the many private contractors that manage and service them. These groups have become a powerful lobbying force in favor of robust growth for our incarcerated population.
Vast prison populations cause problems. Such as costing a lot of money. Legislatures balk at the costs of true rehabilitation and often cut services aimed at helping inmates get a new start. Hence, they come back.
Similarly, budget cuts lead to overcrowding and inhumane conditions. This decay sooner or later calls down the wrath of watchdog agencies, and all too soon, the courts. The American Civil Liberties Union recently filed a class-action lawsuit against a for-profit prison accused of abusing mentally ill inmates in Mississippi. The lawsuit reads like something Stephen King couldn't make up.
In California, the courts are weighing what to do about an airborne fungus that has already killed more than 30 inmates and may threaten thousands more at two state prisons.
Prisoners, obviously, suffer for their lack of a potent lobby. But so do all taxpayers. We're the ones who end up footing the bill. There's nothing new about that -- we are such suckers.
The logical fix would require putting more money and effort into securing jobs, transitional housing, and drug treatment for ex-offenders. Bruce Western, a Harvard University sociology professor, says this full-spectrum attack on recidivism would cost $7 billion. That may sound astronomical, but it's actually only one-tenth of what we're already spending to maintain the Prison-Industrial Complex at the state and federal levels.
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