NCJ Number
152786
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Noting that the United States now has the highest known rate of incarceration in the world and that California's prison population exceeded 100,000 on April 15, 1991, this report profiles the prototypical 100,000th inmate and discusses the costs of incarcerating and controlling this prisoner.
Abstract
Overall, this inmate contrasts starkly to the stereotypical criminal epitomized by Willie Horton. The inmate is a minority young male, uneducated and drug abusing. Although more than $42,000 has been spent on his incarceration, supervision, revocation, and reincarceration, the inmate's original offense was a property crime such as larceny-theft, 75 percent of which involve a loss of less than $400. The inmate was sent to prison for a parole violation and will not receive drug treatment, education, or vocational training. As a result, he will return to society arguably more likely to reoffend than when he entered prison. This profile reveals the high costs and negative results of our reliance on jails and the need for policy and sentencing reform. Figures and 35 reference notes