Record Prison Population

[Scorpio]

(AP) WASHINGTON - A record 6.9 million adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole last year, nearly 131,000 more than in 2002, according to a Justice Department study.




Any thoughts as to why?

Are there more criminals or is this a political trend?

Criminalization of drugs?  Corporate crime?  

Poor people ripping off Republicans?

[KEmperor]

Its the drug war, any idiot that has taken a Criminology course in college could tell you that.

[John Dibble]

The Drug War, definitely the Drug War. Hell, I wouldn't even care so much if they didn't legalize it if they would just stop spending so much time and money on it and do more important things.

[Scorpio]

Too many people incarcerated for possession. It is a real national disgrace. These people are mostly prime candidates for GPS devices not letting a rapist/murderer/pervert out early just to free up a cell.

If you read the numbers, street crime seems to be down, and crimes of passion are up.

It most certainly in my view is the "drug war", (Another silly idea).


The current political leadership will never take a proactive view towards confronting illegal drugs.

The most sensible thing would be to decriminalize them.

[Scorpio]

Too many people incarcerated for possession. It is a real national disgrace. These people are mostly prime candidates for GPS devices not letting a rapist/murderer/pervert out early just to free up a cell.

There are some prisoners in some states doing "life" for possession.

How silly is that??


(Although, I like the idea of more people in the joint for ripping off Republicans....)


"Hey!  He just stole my golf cart!"

[??????????]

Too many people incarcerated for possession. It is a real national disgrace. These people are mostly prime candidates for GPS devices not letting a rapist/murderer/pervert out early just to free up a cell.

There are some prisoners in some states doing "life" for possession.

How silly is that??


(Although, I like the idea of more people in the joint for ripping off Republicans....)


"Hey!  He just stole my golf cart!"

I think certain drug lords SHOULD recieve a harsh punishment. I don't think simple drug peddlers should. We should fight them like we fought the mobs during Prohibition. But I think the war on drugs has failed just as bad, if not worse, then Prohibition.

[qwerty]

This is all Bush's fault. We need to get him out of office so more criminals can roam the streets.

[TeePee4Prez]

Marijuana should be legalized and taxed.  It is both a revenue maker and an expenditure saver.  There should be more emphasis on corporate crime where CEO's pilfer people's 401(k)'s.

[minionofmidas]

Peter Struck, now German defence minister, then leader of the parliamentary SPD, on why Germany's unemployment rate wasn't sinking like the US's, some years back:
"If we'd incarcerate the same share of the population as the Americans do, we'd have almost the same unemployment rate." (Quoting from memory here)

[David S]

The prohibition era is a good analogy. Crime was rampant, mostly with bootleggers shooting each other, but with innocent people getting hit too. The murder rate plunged after prohibition was repealed. The war on drugs is doing the same thing today. Drug gangs are shooting each other and anyone who gets in their way. The war on drugs creates a crime bonanza for criminals. Legalizing the drugs would put them out of business.

[cwelsch]

Everybody knows it's the drug war.  How could it be anything else.  Just free all the non-violent drug offenders.

[??????????]

Everybody knows it's the drug war.  How could it be anything else.  Just free all the non-violent drug offenders.

Yes, but something needs to be done with those who are seriously addicted to drugs and commit burglaries and the such. Wouldn't the crime rate go up slightly if all non-violent offenders were released?

[stry_cat]

Everybody knows it's the drug war.  How could it be anything else.  Just free all the non-violent drug offenders.

Yes, but something needs to be done with those who are seriously addicted to drugs and commit burglaries and the such. Wouldn't the crime rate go up slightly if all non-violent offenders were released?

No.  The suggestion was to release the the non-violent ones.  Even now most users can make an honest living to support their habbit.  Besides if drugs were relegalized the price would come down and you would take the crime of out of drugs. Since they're no longer criminals they might be less likely to commit a crime to support their habbit and they probly won't need any extra money anyway.

People who commit real crimes (i.e. a crime where they harm another's property or person) should stay in jail.  No one in their right mind would suggest letting these people out.

[cwelsch]

Everybody knows it's the drug war.  How could it be anything else.  Just free all the non-violent drug offenders.

Yes, but something needs to be done with those who are seriously addicted to drugs and commit burglaries and the such. Wouldn't the crime rate go up slightly if all non-violent offenders were released?

They didn't hurt anybody.  We can't hold them because a few of them MIGHT commit crimes.  Hell, anybody MIGHT commit a crime, that's not the same as ACTUALLY committing a crime.  If they do commit a crime we'll arrest them then.

[??????????]

Everybody knows it's the drug war.  How could it be anything else.  Just free all the non-violent drug offenders.

Yes, but something needs to be done with those who are seriously addicted to drugs and commit burglaries and the such. Wouldn't the crime rate go up slightly if all non-violent offenders were released?

They didn't hurt anybody.  We can't hold them because a few of them MIGHT commit crimes.  Hell, anybody MIGHT commit a crime, that's not the same as ACTUALLY committing a crime.  If they do commit a crime we'll arrest them then.

I believe a judge should have to review each individual case before they are released if this were to ever occur. Take for example Joseph Smith, the animal that killed Carlie Bruchia <sp?>. He was a long time drug addict who had not been violent but one time before and the judge just went ahead and released him.

[cwelsch]

Every criminal has his first crime.

What if being black or poor or living in Florida became non-criminal factors of guilt?  We shouldn't punish people for non-crimes because they might go on to commit real crimes.

[??????????]

Every criminal has his first crime.

What if being black or poor or living in Florida became non-criminal factors of guilt?  We shouldn't punish people for non-crimes because they might go on to commit real crimes.

I don't think bashing a womans face in with a motorcycle helmet is a non-crime.

[John Dibble]

Every criminal has his first crime.

What if being black or poor or living in Florida became non-criminal factors of guilt?  We shouldn't punish people for non-crimes because they might go on to commit real crimes.

I don't think bashing a womans face in with a motorcycle helmet is a non-crime.

Yeah, that's a crime. But what does it have to do with the possession and use of drugs?

[??????????]

Every criminal has his first crime.

What if being black or poor or living in Florida became non-criminal factors of guilt?  We shouldn't punish people for non-crimes because they might go on to commit real crimes.

I don't think bashing a womans face in with a motorcycle helmet is a non-crime.

Yeah, that's a crime. But what does it have to do with the possession and use of drugs?

Sorry I should have been more specific. That was the guy whos only previous crime was drug abuse and ended up killing that little girl. I posted about him a few posts back.

[John Dibble]

Every criminal has his first crime.

What if being black or poor or living in Florida became non-criminal factors of guilt?  We shouldn't punish people for non-crimes because they might go on to commit real crimes.

I don't think bashing a womans face in with a motorcycle helmet is a non-crime.

Yeah, that's a crime. But what does it have to do with the possession and use of drugs?

Sorry I should have been more specific. That was the guy whos only previous crime was drug abuse and ended up killing that little girl. I posted about him a few posts back.

Ah. Well, the deal would be that he would be pardoned for drug abuse, his personal choice, but would still serve his sentence for his violent crime. You are always responsible for your behavior - being under the influence of drugs is no excuse.