Archive for February 28, 2008
1 in 99: America’s prison population explodes (even more)
Feb 28th
A new study released today by the Pew Center reports that 1 in 99.1 Americans is in prison. From the press release:
For the first time in history more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison—a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety. According to a new report released today by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, at the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails, or one in every 99.1 men and women, according to the study. During 2007, the prison population rose by more than 25,000 inmates. In addition to detailing state and regional prison growth rates, Pew’s report, One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, identifies how corrections spending compares to other state investments, why it has increased, and what some states are doing to limit growth in both prison populations and costs while maintaining public safety.
As prison populations expand, costs to states are on the rise. Last year alone, states spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before. However, the national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years. And while violent criminals and other serious offenders account for some of the growth, many inmates are low-level offenders or people who have violated the terms of their probation or parole.
“For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn’t been a clear and convincing return for public safety,” said Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project. “More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers.”
Take a look at these numbers:
1 out of every 9 black men between the ages of 20-34 is in prison
1 out of every 54 men above the age of 18 is in prison
Over the last two years, CT’s prison population has grown by 1.1%, putting it slightly below middle of the pack.
CT’s spending on corrections is 4.4% of its total budget expenditures.
CT is also one of five states that spent more on corrections than on higher education.
So what are states doing about it? From page 22 of the report – there are three options: (1) diverting low-risk offenders from prison, (2) reducing the stay of low-risk offenders and (3) a combination of the two.
This is a fantastic report and a must-read.
H/T: SL & P
Piercing the blogging veil
Feb 28th
So, despite my best half-hearted attempts to conceal my identity, it has come to my attention that a growing number of you know who I am. My initial reaction was to go the Audacity route and just shut down. But I’m not going to do that. Frankly, because I enjoy this too much and I really don’t say anything here that I wouldn’t say to you in person. If you know me and think that I’m an idiot, then my work here is done.
I do have two requests, though. If you refer the blog to other pds or attorneys in CT, try not to refer to it by my real name. Second- and more important – what the heck are you people doing reading but not commenting? C’mon folks – start getting involved! There are plenty of you that know more about some of this stuff than I do. So chime in. Don’t leave me looking like a fool. That’s my job.
Otherwise I’ll be forced to send you all e-mails.
Thanks for reading 
For those of you who don’t know me, but are curious nonetheless, this is what I look like:
The photo has been updated. Now you’re all confused because you don’t know which one I am. HAH!
No, seriously, that’s my mortal enemy. This is me:
That’s Miranda in the background.
Disparity challenge to death penalty survives motion to dismiss (updated)
Feb 28th
Update: Here‘s a copy
CT death row inmates’ racial and geographical disparity challenge to the death penalty survived a motion to dismiss. The challenge was made under provisions of both the Connecticut and Federal Constitutions. That might be what saved it (among other things).
In his decision, Judge Stanley T. Fuger Jr. said Connecticut’s constitution affords defendants greater legal rights than the U.S. Constitution, so, therefore, they have the right to present the kind of systemwide bias evidence that the 1987 ruling barred.
“Connecticut is not closing its eyes to this claim as most state courts have done,” said David Baldus, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law who has studied bias in the death penalty in four states and in the city of Philadelphia. “So that’s why this is an unusual case. Unusual and important.”
This is a serious issue and perhaps it wouldn’t have been the wisest thing to dismiss the claims, as Judge Fuger recognizes:
“In the instant case, the petitioners allege that they are to be deprived of their lives in a proceeding that has been tainted by the imposition of improper racial determinations,” Fuger wrote in his decision. “The stakes are, therefore, extraordinarily high for these petitioners and merit the closest of scrutiny before throwing the complaint out of court without any opportunity to provide the validity of the claims.”
Previous coverage here, here, here and here.
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