US jail population declines for first time

[Ed Barrow]

Source: Associated Press

The United States' local jail population is declining for the first time since the federal government began keeping count, reflecting what some experts say is a growing belief that jails are housing too many people who do not belong there.

The number of inmates in county and city jails was about 767,600 at the end of last June, down by nearly 18,000 inmates from a year earlier.

Growth in the US jail population has been slowing since 2005. The latest total was down 2.3 per cent and represented the first decline since the Bureau of Justice Statistics began its annual survey of jails in 1982.

The reversal took place as crime in the United States fell dramatically. Violent crime fell 5.5 per cent last year, and property crime was down 4.9 per cent, the third consecutive year of declines.



Read more: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10649712

[muntrv]

1. End the "war on drugs" and you'll see the prison population drop further.

[county worker]

3. I agree

[county worker]

2. Decriminalize drugs and grandfather it and we could close most prisons.

[izquierdista]

4. This will not sit well....

with Corrections Corporation of America. may the FSM puree them into a sauce with his noodly appendage

[kenichol]

5. Solution?

Release non-violent drug offenders, keep same number of prison employees who would then help prepare inmates with viable skills for release back into society.

[AngryAmish]

15. Which viable skills do you talk about?

Teaching a skill is great and all but people are in jail (generally) because of lack of values. Respect for other people and their property. Self control (maybe not a value but an attribute).

People are not thieves or violent since they do not know how to do things. They are criminals because they don't do things like normal folk. Plus, they have very low IQ and poor self control.

[Hydra]

6. They'll fix it

They have to be utilizing the space, regardless of how guilty the occupants are or are not.

[MidwestTransplant]

10. Yeah time to make more things illegal.

[depakid]

7. There are only so many jails and prisons that states can afford to build and operate...

[TheDebbieDee]

8. The prison industry will just lobby to criminalize spitting on sidewalks

and wearing sunglasses indoors............people convicted of these infractions will receive stiff sentences. Maybe even life!

[izquierdista]

9. Or filming cops

[dkf]

11. No more money.

It's expensive to provide for people nowadays.

[New Dawn]

12. Not by much. USA is still #1 in prison population.

[Scuba]

13. Making room for BP exec? I can only hope.

[LynnTheDem]

14. But are we still #1?

Coz that's just so important to us.

[defendandprotect]

16. Good news... but we have to remember we're releasing something close to half million

prisoners every year who certainly don't benefit in any way from having been

in prison for years!!

We have to stop this prison industry -- legalize drugs!!

African Americans and people of color a re also bearing a huge burden in this

prison system!!

[FlyByNight]

17. Sounds like some other substance will...

...have to be made illegal.

How will the prison-industrial complex possibly survive?

:sarcasm: