More than 1 in 100 American Adults incarcerated
A study by the Pew Center on the States reports that more than 1 in 100 Americans are currently behind bars. The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world.
A recent New York Times article discussing the study notes that:
[p]rison costs are blowing a hole in state budgets. On average, states spend almost 7 percent on their budgets on corrections, trailing only healthcare, education and transportation.In 2007, according to the National Association of State Budgeting Officers, states spent $44 billion in tax dollars on corrections. That is up from $10.6 billion in 1987, a 127 increase once adjusted for inflation. With money from bonds and the federal government included, total state spending on corrections last year was $49 billion. By 2011, the report said, states are on track to spend an additional $25 billion.
This is not an abstract problem viewed from a distance - this is an issue that affects all of us. Horry County is currently building a $50 million addition to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, which will require 50 additional employees. Charleston County is building a $100 million expansion to their jail, and Spartanburg County is considering a $46 million expansion to their jail.
Overcrowding in the Lexington County Jail has become a problem, and Lexington Sheriff James Metts is pushing a plan to build new jails in Laurens, Lee, and Colleton Counties to house illegal immigrants. The Beaufort County Jail is severely overcrowded and, like many counties, Beaufort is debating how much to raise property taxes to cover the costs of expansions.
