— 2,424,279 people were incarcerated in the U.S. in 2008, more than any other nation on the planet.
— China ranks second with 1.5 million inmates but China has 4x the population of the U.S.
— The U.S. leads the world in prisoners.
— The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world’s population but almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.
— In 2008, over 7.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at year end — 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 31 adults. (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Had enough?
From 1925 to 1975, the rate remained stable, around 110 people in prison per 100,000 people. It shot up with the movement to get tough on crime in the late 1970s. — New York Times
Until about a year ago when I finally started paying attention to him, Rep. Bobby Scott was the only member of Congress, and maybe the only public official in the country, I knew of who was speaking out about the incarceration rate in the United States. His presentations focused on the historic numbers of people the U.S. continues to throw in jail but he also puts focus to the reasons behind the statistics and the politics. The politics are simple: Politicians win elections
Bobby Scott
when they talk tough on crime. No one wants to be viewed as soft on crime. It’s the easiest game in town and a game we are sure to see exit the playbook once again during this election year. Pollsters like Frank Luntz have been making money telling people who want to run for office or win re-election to adopt a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” campaign theme.
Now we have a Democratic administration in office and Attorney General Eric Holder is speaking opening about a change in direction in how we approach crime policy. In a speech last month to the National Sheriff’s Association Holder mentioned that the Administration would be turning it’s attention to youth violence in the near future but, of course, gave no specifics. Because cabinet officials and the President refuse to endorse specific bills moving through Congress we have a weird situation where the basic provisions in Scott’s bill, The Youth PROMISE Act (The Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Support, and Education Act), are endorsed in principle but the bill itself, inexplicably, isn’t. Further when President Obama released his budget last week we find two funding provisions that sound a hell of a lot like The Youth PROMISE Act. So why not just endorse the bill?
Jim Webb
If Jim Webb successfully moves his bill (S.714) to set up a commission to study an American prison system (that is not in need of more study) the stats on the top of this post will be re-learned but at least it would be something. Of course the things Jim Webb’s legislation seeks to re-learn have been discussed and talked about year after year by several members of the Congressional Black Caucus. But just as Elvis made white America aware of rock n’ roll, Webb is slowly making the mainstream press pay attention to the issue of incarceration in the United States. If it takes a media darling to get attention on and issue fine. So far The Virginian Pilot and the Washington Post have done glowing pieces on Webb and his bill. If he can’t get a simple short bill to “study something” passed it would be amazing. The good news for him is tha the do-nothing pass-nothing Senate is the harder institution the get by and he looks as if he will clear that hurdle first. More to come soon on these two pieces of legislation.
