U.S. correctional population at record high:
 

"Almost 6.6 million men and women made up the correctional population at the end of 2001, an increase of 147,000 from the end of 2000, according to a report titled "Probation and Parole in the United States, 2001." The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics compiled the report. "

Read Here:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/25/jail.stats/index.html

It appears to me that the "tougher sentencing" imposed by many states and the Federal government, which has been the trend over the past several years, is not very effective.

Tax payers prefer to spend the money to incarcerate than educate.

The county I live in is a prime example of this. They have consistenly voted down increased property tax, bonds etc., even though the county School Districts have extensive needs.

The crime rate is un-proportionately high for the population base, mostly drug related crimes and the editorials in the paper is always about tougher sentencing, not better education, or even better treatment centers, which are virtually non-existent in this county.

Wrong headed priorities seem to win out every time.

Shit! Thats a lot of criminals. What the fucks up with that?

your point being what? The states arent getting any better and every minute someone is risking their life to do some shit that will land them in prison( penitentary chances as we call it round' these parts)..so until there is a better solution the numbers will keep going up. I say gather up all the guns we have gathered from arrests and send em all to the firing squad. Fuck feeding and housing the bastards,send a message of "tough love"

I thought I had made my point. Tax payers seem to prefer incarceration over education.

well that has been the states motto all the time. Better yet teach em on the inside how to be even more fuckups on the outside.What can u really teach a convict? Let them sit on their ass and think about whatever they did. Ole school style...no books,no tv's,no weights,just 23 hours of solitary time a day

The reason that tougher sentences do not work as a deterrant is because most people believe they will not be caught in the first place....

... which is why they need education for the kids so they realise they will get caught, or so they get smart enuff to avoid getting caught :)

I think you are mis-understanding me. I am talking about pouring money, expertise, etc. into the school system, which in some parts of the country is a disgrace. Educating the young. The adults are already a lost cause. Although in the case of drug related crimes, more and better treatment facilities, would be useful.

Poor and Rich.

Almost 13% of the US population has an income below the poverty line.

13 % of 280,000,000 people = 36,400,00 people.

It would be interesting to be able to compare the US statistics to the EU or countries of the same size. But I guess it depends alot on how effective law enforcement works.

Hey, I think I heard that somewhere before! :winkwink:

It's nice to know at least a few people on the other side of the baby boom think this way.

There is a definite correlation between poor...education...and crime.

How many of those people are in jail for smoking pot? It's a fucking joke.

Probably more people have gone to jail for the use of alcohol then pot.

Im glad someone brought this up... ive been meaning to piss and moan about this for some time.

It makes me sick to my stomach that non-violent drug offenders are in jail for mandatory minimums emposed during satan reagans monarchy (if i am correct, i think thats when they came about, during the "crack" craze...) politicians are slimeballs for getting votes from old farts by babbling tough drug shit. and taking the power away from a judge to make a decision based on a unique case... there are a shitload of people in us prisons that should not be. and as a result many violent crazy motherfuckers are paroled to make room. when you old farts get mugged or killed by a paroled nutcase its your own damn fault for voting for this tough on drug shit...

I cant wait till these old farts who think a joint is a "tool of the devil" die and stop voting... if someone wants to kill themselves on hard drugs too, fuck em. its called natural selection.

Elect me president, i will free all non-violent drug offenders, and put that money into education and rehabilitation. but the first thing i will do is get rid of these damn license plates in florida written in crayon, "choose life" ... does this occur to anyone else to be a disgusting example of church and state fucking???

Damn that felt good!

Well at least stop busting people for smoking pot. I think governments should sell & tax pot. Use the money they make to better schools or whatever.
So much money is wasted on fighting pot.

I know someone who was arrested for smoking pot and the fucking police busted the guy at work & he lost his job.
Same guy a few months later was applying for welfare cause he couldn't find a new job and his money was running low.

Stuff like that pisses me off.

I understand your position, but people are arrested, convicted and jailed (even go to prison) for the use/abuse of alcohol, and lose jobs. This for a legal drug.

I for one do not buy into making pot use legal, based upon the argument that alcohol is legal, so why shouldn't pot be legal. Two wrongs do not make a right. I am for the decriminalization of pot use and mandantory lockdown treatment for the use of drugs in general.

Both drugs are mind/character altering drugs, and mind/character altering drugs simply are not a good thing.

I was a user of alcohol for too many years of my life, then I grew up.