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“At this point, drug violations and property offenses account for a majority (59 percent) of females in state prison. By comparison, men in both of these offense categories add up to just 39.5 percent. Meanwhile, in federal prison, women and men convicted of drug offenses constitute nearly 60 percent of inmates.”
What a huge waste of resources, both financial and human. Guess we learned even less than nothing from Prohibition.
Posted by wolf on Feb 8, 2008 at 8:57 AM
From what I gather, making these drugs illegal was what they needed to replace Prohibition to keep the G-men employed. Now, of course, we have many privatized prisons which make big bucks for their corporate owners. It’s become quite an industry with lobbyists and all. I read a quote circa 1997 by a leader in the prison industry who talked of stepping up efforts to fill more beds. Recidivism is profitable. Thus there is a disincentive to rehabilitate. In states where felons lose their voting rights, there is a political motive to arrest and convict black offenders. It’s another way for corporate big business to milk tax payer money. We have a prison population of 2.2 million and growing. Of those, more than 1.7 million are employed at slave wages by outside private corporations. And here US workers are worried about cheap goods from China made by prison labor. Go figure.
Posted by urthsong on Feb 10, 2008 at 4:39 AM
Now that we have privatized prisons where people can work the chase on arrest are shown.after they get out they get helped by employment by same institutionSo it seems it is to expensive to build more social work places were all races can work for a same salarie as ohers.They are even investing in these prisons the prisoners get treated better it is a shme there is no other way! Unless people are forced to hire diploma ex-inmates who can handle the job as proven the Government should oversee this!!
Posted by anthony on Feb 13, 2008 at 3:44 AM
Silja Talvi miss quoted the statistic on female incarceration rates in Oaklahoma. Oklahoma
Posted by Chandra on Feb 13, 2008 at 8:55 AM
“It
Posted by mikep on Feb 14, 2008 at 2:01 PM
The entire legal and philosophical foundation that underlies the War on Drugs is bogus. It makes a crime out of something that isn’t criminal, sets up conditions for contraband markets to evolve that result in unholy amounts of wealth going to the most ruthless people, and reinforces the idea that we need a paternalistic government to “protect” us from unhealthy influences.
And, as though it’s an aside, it hasn’t led to the abandonment of recreational drugs. If anything, America is more drugged up than ever (but of course, rampant and unhealthful use of antidepressants, on top of our love for a simple grass- or beer-buzz, isn’t technically a criminal issue, just a frightening health issue).
Finally, mikep’s point is not to be forgotten. Drug warriors come in many flavors, and plenty of them taste like Democrat… not least the Clintons! That simplistic “conservative or liberal” division Americans are so fond of can make one forget the culprits on both sides of the aisle.
But really, regardless of party label or where one falls on the political scale, the basic idea needs to be promoted that you own your body, and it is not a justifiable use of power for government to punish you for altering your own consciousness.
It’s the kind of thing that should never come up on a referendum, like who has the right to marry, or who has the right to educate themselves. Doesn’t matter what the neighbors think, regardless of whether they’re a minority, plurality, or majority. Some things are not up for a vote!
Another in a series of power-grabs that ordinary Americans could quash, if they only had the resolve to do so. If they believed in actual, inborn rights, instead of just authoritative permissions they have to obtain, which seems to have replaced the concept of rights in the US.
Posted by Kuya on Feb 15, 2008 at 12:22 AM
There was a misprint here: the OK rates are indeed from 1977 to 2004. Thanks for catching that.
Posted by Silja J.A. Talvi on Jun 30, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Additional waste is the children left behind in crisis while their parents, especially mothers, languish in prisons. These lost children will contibute mightily to the next generation of school dropouts, homeless and future incarcerated.
Posted by urthsong on Jun 30, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Weed will leed to more other drugs thats why its the most evil of all.But Private Pisons.Get a job that way you can at least buy stock or so.Working in a institution Id say let them give you a apprenticeship in all areas knowing its hard to get work outside again..last but not leasty make sure there is no chasing down of people for imprisoment.Private Prisons what will we invest in next??
Posted by anthony on Jul 1, 2008 at 3:56 AM
If we are staying or not in Afganistan -Irak why not destroy the OPIUM POPPIE ?? we have war on drugs? but it seems the governments wants criminals!No drugs less crime but no guards,policeless in that area,jails close,no lawyers,less dockets,courts would meet all other cases on time.So why leave that poppie thereburn it all since we are there anyway??
Posted by anthony on Jul 1, 2008 at 4:21 AM
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“At this point, drug violations and property offenses account for a majority (59 percent) of females in state prison. By comparison, men in both of these offense categories add up to just 39.5 percent. Meanwhile, in federal prison, women and men convicted of drug offenses constitute nearly 60 percent of inmates.”
What a huge waste of resources, both financial and human. Guess we learned even less than nothing from Prohibition.
From what I gather, making these drugs illegal was what they needed to replace Prohibition to keep the G-men employed. Now, of course, we have many privatized prisons which make big bucks for their corporate owners. It’s become quite an industry with lobbyists and all. I read a quote circa 1997 by a leader in the prison industry who talked of stepping up efforts to fill more beds. Recidivism is profitable. Thus there is a disincentive to rehabilitate. In states where felons lose their voting rights, there is a political motive to arrest and convict black offenders. It’s another way for corporate big business to milk tax payer money. We have a prison population of 2.2 million and growing. Of those, more than 1.7 million are employed at slave wages by outside private corporations. And here US workers are worried about cheap goods from China made by prison labor. Go figure.
Now that we have privatized prisons where people can work the chase on arrest are shown.after they get out they get helped by employment by same institutionSo it seems it is to expensive to build more social work places were all races can work for a same salarie as ohers.They are even investing in these prisons the prisoners get treated better it is a shme there is no other way! Unless people are forced to hire diploma ex-inmates who can handle the job as proven the Government should oversee this!!
Silja Talvi miss quoted the statistic on female incarceration rates in Oaklahoma. Oklahoma
“It
The entire legal and philosophical foundation that underlies the War on Drugs is bogus. It makes a crime out of something that isn’t criminal, sets up conditions for contraband markets to evolve that result in unholy amounts of wealth going to the most ruthless people, and reinforces the idea that we need a paternalistic government to “protect” us from unhealthy influences.
And, as though it’s an aside, it hasn’t led to the abandonment of recreational drugs. If anything, America is more drugged up than ever (but of course, rampant and unhealthful use of antidepressants, on top of our love for a simple grass- or beer-buzz, isn’t technically a criminal issue, just a frightening health issue).
Finally, mikep’s point is not to be forgotten. Drug warriors come in many flavors, and plenty of them taste like Democrat… not least the Clintons! That simplistic “conservative or liberal” division Americans are so fond of can make one forget the culprits on both sides of the aisle.
But really, regardless of party label or where one falls on the political scale, the basic idea needs to be promoted that you own your body, and it is not a justifiable use of power for government to punish you for altering your own consciousness.
It’s the kind of thing that should never come up on a referendum, like who has the right to marry, or who has the right to educate themselves. Doesn’t matter what the neighbors think, regardless of whether they’re a minority, plurality, or majority. Some things are not up for a vote!
Another in a series of power-grabs that ordinary Americans could quash, if they only had the resolve to do so. If they believed in actual, inborn rights, instead of just authoritative permissions they have to obtain, which seems to have replaced the concept of rights in the US.
There was a misprint here: the OK rates are indeed from 1977 to 2004. Thanks for catching that.
Additional waste is the children left behind in crisis while their parents, especially mothers, languish in prisons. These lost children will contibute mightily to the next generation of school dropouts, homeless and future incarcerated.
Weed will leed to more other drugs thats why its the most evil of all.But Private Pisons.Get a job that way you can at least buy stock or so.Working in a institution Id say let them give you a apprenticeship in all areas knowing its hard to get work outside again..last but not leasty make sure there is no chasing down of people for imprisoment.Private Prisons what will we invest in next??
If we are staying or not in Afganistan -Irak why not destroy the OPIUM POPPIE ?? we have war on drugs? but it seems the governments wants criminals!No drugs less crime but no guards,policeless in that area,jails close,no lawyers,less dockets,courts would meet all other cases on time.So why leave that poppie thereburn it all since we are there anyway??
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