Author: Schmitt, John
Title: The High Budgetary Cost of Incarceration
Summary: Ths United States currently incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other country in the world. In 2008, over 2.3 million Amreicans were in prison or jail, and one of every 48 working-age men was behind bars. The financial costs of these corrections policies are staggering. In 2008, federal, state, and local governments spent about $75 billion on corrections, the large majority of which was spent on incarceration. Reducing the number of non-violent offenders in our prisons and jails by half would lower this bill by $16.9 billion per year, with the largest share of these savings accruing to financially speezed state and local governments. This report first documents the high and rising rates of incarceration in the United States, comparing the U.S. prison and jail population to the rest of the world and to our own historical experience. The report then reviews the main causes for the rise in incarceration and analyzes the relationship between incarceration and national crime rates. The final section of the report quantifies some of the direct financial costs of incarceration and discusses the scope for budgetary savings, particularly for state and local govenrments.
Details: Washington, DC: Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2010. 17p.
Source: Internet Resource
Year: 2010
Country: United States
URL:
Shelf Number: 118814
Keywords:
Costs of CrimePrisonersPrisons, CostsPrisons, Finance |
