The Washington Post, among others, reports that:
“More than one in 100 adult Americans is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal government ….”
What’s interesting about this is, according to historian Gordon S. Wood:
“Traditionally accused criminals were held in jail only until they went to trial; then if convicted they were fined, whipped, mutilated, or executed, but not incarcerated.” Wood points out that debtors were the sole exception. “But actions for debt could send the debtor to prison where he languished….”
I like the traditional approach better than the current approach.
The Wood quotation is from “Debt and Democracy” in the June 12, 2003, issue of The New York Review of Books.
Just imagine how well we could educate our youth, train workers, provide jobs repairing our infrastructure (which creates more taxpayers), and rehabilitate addicts medically with $55 billion a year! If only we weren’t such a punitive society.
Additional note:
Yes, I do understand that some people are so dangerous to society that they need to be sequestered. However, many people who are in prison do not fall into that category (those who are guilty of victimless crimes, for example.) Furthermore, if more people were well educated and/or trained to find gainful employment, and if there was more gainful employment available, there would be far less crime.
This is what happens when a society becomes hysterical about crime and punishment. We can’t count on our elected officials to do anything about it. Can you imagine any politician saying that we need to be softer on crime? No, I think there has been a fundamental change in American thinking. This number will continue to rise..