Transcript Clear, Cole & Reisig: Chpt. 18

Chapter 18
Incarceration
Trends
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U.S. incarceration rate,
over time
600
478
U.S. incarceration rate
per 100,000 population
500
400
300
200
110
100
0
1950
2000
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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
# of drug offenders per 1,000 new court
commitments to prisons in US
(‘80 to ‘94)
80
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
19
20
10
0
1980
1994
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strategies to address prison
crowding crisis
null
strategy
construction
strategy
strategies
prison
population
reduction
intermediate
sanctions
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“null strategy”
definition
 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”
definition
a
strategy of building new facilities to meet
the demand for prison space
 cost
of average prison cell (in 500 bed facility):
 $75,000
 $22,000
 $82,000
 $41,000,000
base construction cost (= $31 million)
architects’ fees, furnishings, site prep.
actual cost per cell
to build 500 bed facility
 $19,000
per inmate per year ($9.5 mill)
 operating
 30-year
cost:
bill for 500 bed facility:
 $326 million
 NOT the $30
million originally claimed.
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impact of prison crowding
ill health
offender
misconduct
results of
crowding
postrelease
recidivism
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
loss of young
men to
communities
hidden
costs
postrelease
recidivism
opportunity costs of not having
other social programs
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