U.S. ranks #1 in jailing its citizens

Carol Forsloff - The
United States ranks #1 in putting people in jail, with Russia its rival
at #2, with increasing percentages among minorities and those convicted
of victimless crimes.


Furthermore more than 50% of the people presently in jail haven't been convicted of a crime and are awaiting court decisions.

The
cost of putting a person in jail, including police time and the cost of
tenure in jail, create stress on state finances at a time when many of
the states are struggling to keep abreast of major responsibilities in
education and maintaining a lid on major offenders whose crimes can
seriously endanger the public.  A number of states are therefore
rethinking their methods and laws regarding who goes to jail and for how
long.

Statistics from the Bureau of Justice tell a story, according to the Sentencing Project,
with 1 in 4 jail inmates in 2002 in jail for a drug offense.  This
compares to 1983 figures of 1 in 10 in 1983.  By 2006 20% of state
prison inmates and 52% of federal prison inmates were incarcerated for
drugs.

In the meantime many states are looking to cut back their
budgets and treat crimes differently because of increased costs in
incarceration.  The Palestine Herald Press reported on the State of Texas considerations in cutting back prison beds to reduce the state budget concerns.

Those
advocates for prison reform maintain victimless crimes should be
treated differently, especially when they involve drugs like marijuana,
especially for medical use.

In fact, in Oregon and California marijuana proponents have legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes on the state ballot.

Whether
one is for or against the use of marijuana, the presence of so many
people in jail or on probation at 7.3 million in the U.S. population and
1 in 10 black males between the ages of 25 - 29 reveals a prison
population significant enough to impact public coffers.  Many of these
folks are repeat offenders, but many began their criminal history with
victimless crimes, making it hard for them to get jobs and be part of
community life, even  after a marijuana offense.
An estimated 3,600 marijuana users were sent to jail on a first offense
last year.  Whereas that is a small number, they and others receive a
blot on their records employers can discover.

Those with problems
finding employment following conviction of a crime, even a misdemeanor,
are more likely to be part of the recidivist group eventually ending up
in jail.

In Oregon recently there were several police stops
reported by the Oregon State Police, taking in young adults possessing
marijuana to jail, at a time when the state is considering legalizing
it.  In some of these police stops, the people involved had small
amounts of the drug.

Penalties for drug possession can be stiff. In Louisiana
an individual can be imprisoned for possessing even a small amount of
marijuana on a first offense.  Medical marijuana is not legal, so anyone
coming across state lines from a state where medical marijuana is
legal, which is now more than 25% of the United States, would be put in
jail.  Six months is the sentence for a first offense  which is a Class A
misdemeanor along with a $500 fine.  A second offense, even of a small
amount, is a federal crime with stiff prison penalties.

Anyone
growing any amount of marijuana in the State of Louisiana can be
imprisoned from five to 30 years on federal charges and be fined

$50,000, even on a first offense.