According to FBI data, crime rates across the board have been in decline since the early 1990's and, overall, dropped about 25% in the last twenty years. That's good news.
But, in spite of this trend and in this time of economic crisis, the cost of criminal correctional spending by the states has grown faster than education, transportation and public assistance costs. According to a new Pew report, only spending to Medicaid grew at a faster rate. The report notes that 1 out of 31 Americans is in prison, on parole or probation and the price tag for the system borne by the states? $47B in 2008.
So, as states struggle with declining tax revenue and are forced to cut services like education and health care, the cost of prisons continue to rise. I've written here recently about the recent rulings California must release some 40%, or nearly 52,000 inmates from it's prisons after the California prison system was placed under federal receivership because severe overcrowding violated inmates Constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment.
And California is not alone. Here's a NY Times produced graphic showing state expenditures on their prison systems:
As noted previously, these huge prison populations and the accompanying costs stem, largely, from the implementation of federally mandated sentencing standards imposed in the 1970's and, certainly in California's case, passage of "three strikes" laws.
And we're paying for it now. Despite reductions in crime, prison populations are sky high and the states are now being forced to cut funds to educating our kids because they're unable to cut the cost to maintain these overcrowded prisons.
We've got our priorities seriously screwed up.
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