U.S. Jail Population Hits New High
According to a new report from the Department of Justice, 3.2% of America's adult population is in jail or on probation or parole. That's 6.9 million people. The number of adults in our correctional population increased by more than 130,000 this year, even though there was no corresponding increase in the crime rate.
Experts say the numbers reflect the "get tough on crime" laws of the 90's. This would be a good time for the Democrats to change course and focus on prevention and treatment as alternatives to prison for non-violent drug offenders. We got our copy of the Democratic Platform today. What does it say about prisons and sentencing laws? Nothing that we could find.
| < Mainstream Media Covers the Bloggers | Blogger Breakfast: Obama, Dean > |