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The Extent of Prison Overcrowding

rewdiazepam
rewdiazepam
We all know the extent of the problem with prisons in this country, particularly the overcrowding problem. After all, some of us live with this every day.

I got this link from another board, but I am sure they do not care if I share it here.

I found this animated graphic which will let you see just HOW bad the problem has become over the years. Words sometimes do not convey the extent of the problem, but this surely does.

http://tinyurl.com/ly6ruun

Scroll down and read the entire page. Ugly, isn't it??

rewdiazepam
rewdiazepam
rewdiazepam
About half way down the page, you will find a bar graph. It is entitled "U S Incarceration Rate Ranking, Highest to Lowest."

The first eleven states---with the highest incarceration rates--- are in the Bible Belt. I know Arizona is not usually considered in the Bible Belt, but it is a southern state.

Many people have asked where the best state is for sex offenders to live and I always tell them to stay away from the Bible Belt states. Now you see why.

rewdiazepam
frogpond1
frogpond1
I know that the intake centers up here in the north are very, very over crowded with people sleeping on the floors and hallways. The doj can't seem to place them fast enough and some have just been released due to the overcrowding. It has even helped in some cases where the cases are just dropped completely. Just happened in MA where one person had a felony charge of weapon possession, controlled substance possession, paraphernalia, intent to sell, intent to sell within 500ft of a school, all sorts of felony charges just completely dropped.
ThoughtAsWeak
ThoughtAsWeak
I know CA likes to spout that they lowered their inmate numbers, but the truth is they were forced to! Even then, they only shuffled them into county jails for low level offenses. However, if they don't address the system, they will only be in the same situation as they were before - overcrowded and deemed cruel & unusual punishment due to lack of healthcare.
Advocate2
Advocate2
All of this is because of the over criminalization of our country - but becasue the government along with the media has turned everyone into a bunch of frightened rabbits most people -- instead of asking what the hell is going on here think oh my there are so many dangerous criminals!!! Save us Save us - keep us safe please!!
rewdiazepam
rewdiazepam
@ThoughtAsWeak

California would still have a terrible overcrowding problem and nothing would have changed if the courts had not intervened and ordered them to fix the problem. TAW is correct.

@Advocate,

You hit the nail on the head. The one thing that drives this is FEAR by the people of this country. The fear fuels the "tough on crime" mantra which keeps the politicians passing more laws which keeps getting them re-elected which then keep the prisons full.

rewdiazepam
Heartbrokenparent
Heartbrokenparent
Unfortunately, Louisiana seems to be at the top forever! I live here and it sucks. They just throw people away. VERY SAD TO SAY THE LEAST!!!! We were supposed to live in the land of FREEDOM! I guess everyone wanted a piece of the money. They don't care if they hurt families. SAD!!!!