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Discussion and Debate
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Politics
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Drug Wars, Migrant Discrimination & Prison Reform: Real Solutions for healing Economy
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<blockquote data-quote="Gxg (G²)" data-source="post: 61947260" data-attributes="member: 238335"><p>Since 1980, the federal prison population has grown almost 800 percent, and facilities are dangerously overcrowded. Funds for expanding prisons would drain money from programs that have prevented crime and reduced recidivism. The administration and Congress need to focus on reforms that limit excessive mandatory minimum sentences for low-level offenses. This would significantly reduce the prison population while maintaining public safety and go a long way toward promoting a cost-effective and fair justice system.</p><p> </p><p>The Economist magazine <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/16636027" target="_blank">examined America's criminal justice system</a>, painting a gloomy picture:</p><p></p><p style="text-align: left"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><p style="text-align: left">Between 2.3m and 2.4m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults. If those on parole or probation are included, one adult in 31 is under "correctional" supervision. As a proportion of its total population, America incarcerates five times more people than Britain, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan. Overcrowding is the norm. Federal prisons house 60% more inmates than they were designed for. State lock-ups are only slightly less stuffed.</p> </p> <p style="text-align: left">This surfeit of prisoners can be explained by several factors. With politicians running and winning on hard-on-crime platforms, sentencing has become harsher, abetted by mandatory requirements that take away judges' use of discretion. Some states even lock up nonviolent habitual criminals for life. The Economist identifies one, Jerald Sanders, who was sentenced to a life term in Alabama after stealing a bicycle. Meanwhile, prisons cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars per inmate each year, from an average cost of $18,000 per prisoner in Mississippi to $50,000 in California.</p> <p style="text-align: left"></p> <p style="text-align: left">Many prison reform activists argue that the justice system should <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-santos/call-for-prison-reform_b_543332.html" target="_blank">focus more on rehabilitation efforts</a> and reduce penalties for nonviolent, victimless crimes, such as possessing small amounts of drugs. So far, Obama reportedly <a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/webb-takes-next-challenge-nations-prison-system" target="_blank">has offered "quiet encouragement,"</a> but has yet to put the full force of the White House behind the effort. And until something happens, mess will continue. For more:</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/29/prison-growth-drug-law-reforms_n_1064250.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b">Drug Sentencing <strong>Reforms</strong> Halt Decades Of <strong>Prison</strong> Population Growth</span></a></strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rafael-lemaitre/drug-policy-reform-_b_1126225.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b"><strong>Obama</strong> Drug Policy: <strong>Reforming</strong> the Criminal Justice System</span></a></strong><br /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-jurado/obama-needs-to-create-job_1_b_944022.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b"><strong>Obama</strong> Needs to Create Jobs and <strong>Reform</strong> the Criminal Justice System</span></a></strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberto-lovato/obamas-vision-of-truly-ci_b_252984.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b"><strong>Obama's</strong> Vision of "Truly Civil" Immigrant <strong>Prison Reform</strong></span></a></strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/obama-immigration-reform-univision_n_1901240.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b"><strong>Obama</strong>: Immigration <strong>Reform</strong> Inaction Was 'Biggest Failure'</span></a></strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/prison-rape-elimination-act-immigrant-detention_n_1524470.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b"><strong>Prison</strong> Rape Elimination Act To Expand To Immigrant Detention <strong>...</strong></span></a></strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/private-prisons-immigration-federal-law-enforcement_n_1569219.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #058b7b">Private <strong>Prisons</strong> Profit From Immigration Crackdown, Federal And ...</span></a></li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gxg (G²), post: 61947260, member: 238335"] Since 1980, the federal prison population has grown almost 800 percent, and facilities are dangerously overcrowded. Funds for expanding prisons would drain money from programs that have prevented crime and reduced recidivism. The administration and Congress need to focus on reforms that limit excessive mandatory minimum sentences for low-level offenses. This would significantly reduce the prison population while maintaining public safety and go a long way toward promoting a cost-effective and fair justice system. The Economist magazine [URL="http://www.economist.com/node/16636027"]examined America's criminal justice system[/URL], painting a gloomy picture: [LEFT][/LEFT] [INDENT][LEFT]Between 2.3m and 2.4m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults. If those on parole or probation are included, one adult in 31 is under "correctional" supervision. As a proportion of its total population, America incarcerates five times more people than Britain, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan. Overcrowding is the norm. Federal prisons house 60% more inmates than they were designed for. State lock-ups are only slightly less stuffed.[/LEFT] [/INDENT][LEFT]This surfeit of prisoners can be explained by several factors. With politicians running and winning on hard-on-crime platforms, sentencing has become harsher, abetted by mandatory requirements that take away judges' use of discretion. Some states even lock up nonviolent habitual criminals for life. The Economist identifies one, Jerald Sanders, who was sentenced to a life term in Alabama after stealing a bicycle. Meanwhile, prisons cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars per inmate each year, from an average cost of $18,000 per prisoner in Mississippi to $50,000 in California. Many prison reform activists argue that the justice system should [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-santos/call-for-prison-reform_b_543332.html"]focus more on rehabilitation efforts[/URL] and reduce penalties for nonviolent, victimless crimes, such as possessing small amounts of drugs. So far, Obama reportedly [URL="http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/webb-takes-next-challenge-nations-prison-system"]has offered "quiet encouragement,"[/URL] but has yet to put the full force of the White House behind the effort. And until something happens, mess will continue. For more:[/LEFT] [LIST] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/29/prison-growth-drug-law-reforms_n_1064250.html"][COLOR=#058b7b]Drug Sentencing [B]Reforms[/B] Halt Decades Of [B]Prison[/B] Population Growth[/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rafael-lemaitre/drug-policy-reform-_b_1126225.html"][COLOR=#058b7b][B]Obama[/B] Drug Policy: [B]Reforming[/B] the Criminal Justice System[/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-jurado/obama-needs-to-create-job_1_b_944022.html"][COLOR=#058b7b][B]Obama[/B] Needs to Create Jobs and [B]Reform[/B] the Criminal Justice System[/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberto-lovato/obamas-vision-of-truly-ci_b_252984.html"][COLOR=#058b7b][B]Obama's[/B] Vision of "Truly Civil" Immigrant [B]Prison Reform[/B][/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/obama-immigration-reform-univision_n_1901240.html"][COLOR=#058b7b][B]Obama[/B]: Immigration [B]Reform[/B] Inaction Was 'Biggest Failure'[/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][B][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/prison-rape-elimination-act-immigrant-detention_n_1524470.html"][COLOR=#058b7b][B]Prison[/B] Rape Elimination Act To Expand To Immigrant Detention [B]...[/B][/COLOR][/URL][/B] [*][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/private-prisons-immigration-federal-law-enforcement_n_1569219.html"][COLOR=#058b7b]Private [B]Prisons[/B] Profit From Immigration Crackdown, Federal And ...[/COLOR][/URL] [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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