Incarceration Trends

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Chapter 18

• Incarceration Trends

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U.S. incarceration rate,over time
U.S. incarceration rate per 100,000 population
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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

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admission rate for drug offenders (80 to 94)
of drug offenders per 1,000 new court
commitments to prisons in US
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strategies to address prison crowding crisis
null strategy
strategies
prison population reduction
construction strategy
intermediate sanctions
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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

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prison population reduction

• states rarely control prison population
• 9 states with sentencing guidelines have required
  guideline framers to consider prison capacity
  when stipulating sentences
• eg, 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

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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.

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

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