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Understanding Prison Population Trends: Causes and Strategies for a Changing System

Explore reasons for rising incarceration rates and strategies to manage prison overcrowding. Learn about demographic shifts, sentencing practices, and the impact of public policies on prison populations. Delve into the null strategy, construction strategy, and intermediate sanctions as approaches to address overcrowded prisons. Consider the debate on the cost-effectiveness of incarceration and hidden costs associated with locking up offenders.

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Understanding Prison Population Trends: Causes and Strategies for a Changing System

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  1. Chapter 18 Incarceration Trends

  2. Incarceration Trends • Explaining Prison Population Trends • Increased Arrests and More Likely Incarceration • Tougher Sentencing • Prison Construction • The War on Drugs • State Politics • Public Policy Trends • Dealing with Overcrowded Prisons • The Null Strategy • The Construction Strategy • Intermediate Sanctions • Prison Population Reduction • The impact of Prison • Does Incarceration Pay?

  3. PRISON POPULATION TRENDS

  4. why the growth in incarceration rate? • demographic change • changes in the proportion of people in “crime prone” (16 - 24) & “incarceration prone” (25 - 30) age groups • increased arrest rates & more incarceration (including for probation/parole violations) • tougher sentencing practices • less probation, longer sentences, fewer paroles • prison construction • war on drugs • public policy trends: “getting tough”

  5. Incarceration Rates and Violent Crime Rates in Selected Contiguous States

  6. strategies to address prison crowding crisis null strategy strategies prison population reduction construction strategy intermediate sanctions

  7. “null strategy” • the strategy of doing nothing to relieve crowding in prisons on the assumption that the problem is temporary and will disappear in time

  8. prison population reduction • states rarely control prison population • 9 states with sentencing guidelines have required guideline framers to consider prison capacity when stipulating sentences • e.g., Minnesota has had 2d lowest incarceration rate in U.S. from 1985 - 1997 • Texas county “shipping” formula, 1990 • “back door” strategies more typical: • parole, work release, good time

  9. “construction strategy” • a strategy of building new facilities to meet the demand for prison space • cost of average prison cell (in 500 bed facility): • $75,000 base construction cost (= $31 million) • $22,000 architects’ fees, furnishings, site prep. • $82,000 actual cost per cell • $41,000,000 to build 500 bed facility • operating cost: • $19,000 per inmate per year ($9.5 mill) • 30-year bill for 500 bed facility: • $326 million • NOT the $30 million originally claimed.

  10. impact of prison crowding ill health results of crowding post-release recidivism offender misconduct violent behavior

  11. does incarceration pay? • Debate over cost-effectiveness of prison. marginal savings of locking up each offender? • Zedlewski: $430,000 vs. cost of $25,000 • DiIulio: $28,000 vs. cost of $14,000 • Marvell: would save 21 crimes/year per offender

  12. hidden costs of incarceration offenders’ families & children loss of young men to communities post-release recidivism hidden costs opportunity costs of not having other social programs

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