William Atkins
Tuesday, 03 March 2009 03:01
Science -
Biology
Page 3 of 4
Susan Urahn, managing director of The Pew Center on the States, says,
“Most states are facing serious budget deficits. Every single one of them should be making smart investments in community corrections that will help them cut costs and improve outcomes.” [Pew: “
1 in 31 U.S. Adults are Behind Bars, on Parole or Probation”]
The entire 2009 report (which is a 2.06 MB pdf file) is entitled “
One in 31: The Long Reach of America Corrections.” It was released on March 2, 2009.
The 2009 report “
examines the scale and cost of prison, jail, probation and parole in each of the 50 states, and provides a blueprint for states to cut both crime and spending by reallocating prison expenses to fund stronger supervision of the large number of offenders in the community.” [Pew]
The previous report (a 472 KB pdf file), released in February 2008, was entitled “
One in 100: Behind Bars in American 2008.”
The article “
Public Safety Performance” of The Pew Center on the States says,
“The size and cost of America’s prison system has skyrocketed during the last few decades, largely as a result of laws and policies that put more offenders behind bars and keep them there longer. Yet recidivism [relapsing into crime] rates remain stubbornly high, and crime still is a major public concern."
It adds,
“State policy makers across the nation are asking whether soaring prison budgets are the best path to public safety. Increasingly, they are finding the answer is ‘No.’”
The Pew website also states,
“Americans deserve criminal justice policies that keep them safe. They want serious, violent, and chronic criminals put in prison. At the same time, a majority of Americans support cost-effective strategies for dealing with offenders who pose less risk to the community.”
Page four concludes.
