Reentry Central searches far and wide to bring timely and informative news to our readers. In doing so, we often come across statistics or articles that astound us. Sometimes our readers send us information, such as the statistics Efficacy’s Clifford Thornton sent us concerning Oklahoma’s penchant for locking up women. umayyah Waheed, Director of Books Not Bars provided statistics on California’s homeless young people, and the paltry amount spent on services for them, as compared to the amount spent on locking up juveniles.
Oklahoma has the highest percentage of incarcerated women in the U.S. From 1910 - 1980, females made up 3.5 percent of Oklahoma’s prison population. In 2008 that number jumped to 11 percent.
Source: Barbara Palmer, Oklahoma Watch
Between 1987 - 2007, the number of prisoners in the U.S. tripled. In 2008 the U.S. held 2.3 million Americans in prison. This figure does not reflect the number of juveniles who were incarcerated.
Source: Barbara Palmer, Oklahoma Watch
The number of women incarcerated in the U.S. between 1997 - 2007 increased a whopping 832 percent. The male population increased half as much.
Source: Barbara Palmer, Oklahoma Watch
California spends $500,000 a year (or only $2.50 a day) on services for all of its 200,000 homeless young people.
Source: California Watch 1/25/11
California spends $200,000 a year on each young person in the Division of Juvenile Justice prison system.
Sources: 2010 - 2011 Final Budget Summary, California Department of Finance and Monthly Population Report as of 12/31/11, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Juvenile Justice Division
Newly elected New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, recognizing the high cost of running prisons when statistics show that more prisons do not reduce crime, and sap the budget, (see Assessment of Connecticut’s Correctional, Parole and Probation System report in the Library section of www.reentrycentral.com) said in his inaugural speech that he planned on shutting down ten juvenile and adult prisons. Republicans in up-state New York raised vocal opposition, and claimed that closing the prisons, which are mostly located in the up-state area, would mean lost jobs. Much to the disappointment of New York criminal justice reformers, Gov. Cuomo now seems to be backing down from his pledge.
Source: New York Times 1/29/11
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