BY POLLY MANN
Once again, the United States tops the list. Its incarceration rate is now more than four times the world’s average with about 2.2 million people in prisons and jails. Economists Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, are convinced that the sentencing rules are failing and need to be changed (New York Times, April 2016). Research finds that increased incarceration has, at best, only a small effect on crime; longer jail time does not appear to have much impact on juvenile arrest rates, and a criminal record creates substantial obstacles to employment. The annual cost of imprisoning one person averages approximately $30,000 for adults and $110,000 for juveniles (higher than the cost of a year in college). Individuals incarcerated for nonviolent drug crimes, which is 50% of the federal prison population, pose a low risk of recidivism.
Reform is essential. Call or email your senators and representatives. The system can be changed.
