DRUGS AND PRISONS: TIME FOR A NEW STRATEGY?

by Arlen Grossman/ The Big Picture Report

DRUG CONVICTIONS, PER 100,000 ADULTS IN U.S.:  [1)

1980: 15 ; 1996: 148 ; Today: 380+ (#1 in the world).

 PRISONERS PER 100,000 CITIZENS:  [1]

Japan-63, German-90, France-96, Mexico-208, Britain-153,  U.S. 1980-150, U.S. 2011–760 (#1 in the world).

ARRESTS ON DRUG CHARGES IN THE U.S.:   [1]

1.66 million in 2009 (#1 in the world).

DRUG CRIME IMPRISONMENTS IN THE U.S. (est.):  [2]

1980: 41,000

Today: 500,000+

TOTAL SPENDING IN CALIFORNIA (2010)  [1]

Prisons-$9.6 billion;    Higher Education-$5.7 billion

PERCENT OF CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET:  [3]

1980: Prisons 3%, Education 10%

2010: Prisons 11%, Education 7.5%  

 PER CAPITA SPENDING IN CALIFORNIA: [1]

$8,667 per college student

$45,006 per prisoner

NEW CONSTRUCTION IN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1980:   [1)

Prisons: 21, Colleges: 1

 RECIDIVISM RATES IN CALIFORNIA (AFTER 3 YEARS IN PRISON):  [3]

1981: 32.7 %

2010: 71.3% (highest in the nation)

[1] “Incarceration Nation” by Fareed Zakaria/Time/ April 2, 2012

 [2] The Sentencing Project, “A 25-Year Quagmire:  The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society,” 2007.

[3]  California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2011)

PUBLISHED IN OPEDNEWS.COM 04/02/2012