Controlling the U.S. Prison Population: Causes and Reforms

Introduction: A Rising Prison Population

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2,131,180 prisoners were held in federal or state prisons or in local jails in 2003. There were an estimated 486 prison inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents, up from 411 in 1995. The number of women incarcerated in state or federal prisons increased 2.9%, while the number of men rose 2.0% (Prison pp).

At midyear 2004, "there were 4,919 black male prison and jail inmates per 100,000 black males in the United States, compared to 1,717 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 717 white male inmates per 100,000 white males" (Prison pp). The exploding prison population has been blamed on public policy changes that increased the use of prison sentences as well as the length of time served, through mandatory minimum sentencing, three-strikes laws, and reductions in the availability of parole or early release (Incarcerated pp).

In 2002, America's prison population grew again despite a declining crime rate, costing the federal government an estimated $40 billion a year (Anderson pp). According to experts, mandatory sentences — particularly for nonviolent drug offenders — are a major reason that inmate populations have risen for thirty years (Anderson pp). Approximately one in every 143 U.S. residents was in federal, state, or local custody by the end of 2002 (Anderson pp).

Racial Disparities and the Human Cost of Incarceration

According to statistics, 12.6% of black males in their late twenties are currently incarcerated, compared to 3.6% of Hispanic males and 1.7% of white males (U.S. pp). Sixty-one percent of prison and jail inmates in 2004 were of racial or ethnic minorities (McDonough pp). These figures point to deep structural disparities embedded in the criminal justice system, particularly as they relate to drug offense enforcement and mandatory sentencing practices.

"Unless we promote alternatives to prison, the nation will continue to lead the world in imprisonment," said Jason Zeidenberg, director of policy and research for the Justice Policy Institute (U.S. pp). Malcolm Young of the Sentencing Project echoed this concern: "We have to be concerned about an overloaded system which sentences many offenders quickly and is not doing a good job of sorting out people who should be incarcerated from people for whom other responses would produce better, less expensive results" (U.S. pp).