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By Pat Nolan|Published Date: March 17, 2009
The Pew Center on the States has just released One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections, which provides a valuable portrait of corrections in the U.S. today. It is packed with valuable information, charts and graphs. And it couldn’t come at a better time as states across the country are facing massive deficits.
All told, over $68 billion was spent on corrections last year. Of this, the states spent $51.7 billion, which was one of every 15 general fund dollars. This is a 300 percent increase over 20 years ago, crowding out much needed funding for schools, roads and hospitals. Despite this huge increase in corrections spending, the recidivism rates have remained the same.
Clearly, our government leaders have to do something different. We just aren’t getting the “bang for the buck” from our corrections spending. The Pew Report provides a great deal of information about what we are spending, where it is being spent, and what the demographics are of those under correctional supervision. Of particular value are the factsheets for each of the 50 states. The report will be a goldmine of information for governors, state legislators, and reform advocates as they work to keep the public safe with fewer dollars. The good news is that the report demonstrates that it is possible to do that and provides examples of where it is working.
One fact jumped off the page at me. While over two thirds of the offenders are being supervised in the community, only 10% of correctional dollars are spent on them. Ninety percent is spent on prisons. This shortchanges the probation and parole staffs by severely underfunding them and burdening them with horrendous caseloads, and it essentially abandons those offenders struggling to make the difficult transition from prison to freedom. And, it increases the risk to the public.
I have written before about ways to reform probation and parole, and Justice Fellowship has a great number of links to good information on reforms of probation and parole on our issue page.
The findings of the Pew Report make the case very clear why the Second Chance Act is so important. The SCA focuses on helping inmates make a safe and successful return to the community. Those dollars are a great bargain because they will help coordinate non-profits and faith based groups to come alongside these returning prisoners, turning people who were a burden on the taxpayers into contributing members of society. That means fewer victims and safer neighborhoods.
The Pew Report follows on the heels of their groundbreaking study released last year, One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, which documented the size and characteristics of those incarcerated in the U.S. It also offered excellent suggestions for lowering the number of incarcerated persons while keeping the public safe. Both reports are the work of the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project.
For those of us who have been laboring for justice reform for decades, having an institution such as the Pew Center developing in depth studies of our justice institutions is quite literally invaluable. Others can disagree with our ideas, but they can’t argue with the facts provided by Pew. Their reports have done more to provide credibility to the efforts of the “smart on crime” movements than any other institution. The leadership of the Pew Center on the States has given a turbo thrust to the movement, and I hope you will acknowledge their very valuable contribution to our efforts.
In His service,
Vice President, Prison Fellowship
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