Part I - So What's The Problem?

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein

There are currently 7.1 million Americans under the supervision of correctional authorities in America.  That is one of every 33 Americans. Of those 7.1 million Americans over 2.3 million are incarcerated according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (Glaze, 2011).          

In 1970 one in every 602 Americans were incarcerated, in 2009 it was one in every 129.  At a time when every penny of every expenditure are under heavy scrutiny many wonder if the current policy of being “tough on crime” –whatever that means- is even working.  

Compared to other developed nations the United States ranks dead last with 753 individuals incarcerated per 100,000 and that’s over three times the current prison rate of the next closest nation, Poland at 224 (Schmitt, Warner, & Gupta, 2010).

In California the average cost to incarcerate a single inmate is over $47,000 a year and in 2010 the state was operating at a $25.4 billion deficit (California Legislative Analyst’s Office) (Williams, 2010).  Anyone can see why at this time the insurmountable cost of incarceration is a topic of major controversy.  But in the posts to come I will explain why cost is not the only issue.  Since the 1960s we have increased the number of individuals incarcerated at a catastrophic rate, at an ever increasing cost with the hopes of curbing crime but the results do not justify the policy. 

In the next segment we will tackle the history of punishment and I will explain how incarceration is a relatively new phenomenon. In segments to follow we will explore in more depth recidivism and mental health.  To wrap up the series I will present current policy shifts, or at least present a case why we should shift to a more modern approach that is rhetoric free, since I am not seeking your vote or running for any office-at least not anytime soon.

Works Cited

(2011). California's Annual Cost to Incarcerate an Inmate in Prison. Sacramento, Ca.: Legislative Analyst's Office .

Glaze, L. E. (2011). Correctional Population In The United States, 2010. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Guerino, P., Harrison, P. M., & Sabol, W. J. (2011). Prisoners in 2010. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Schmitt, J., Warner, K., & Gupta, S. (2010). The High Budgetary Cost of Incarceration. Washington, D.C.: Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Williams, J. (2010, 11 10). Retrieved 02 09, 2012, from Huffingtonpost.com: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/california-budget-deficit_n_781848.html