State (MN)tops in prison population increase-Sex offender cases, meth are cited

pioneer press ^ | 4-26=05 | staff

[Rakkasan1]

Minnesota leads the nation in the rise of its prison population, which has grown about 45 percent in the last five years, largely because of increases in methamphetamine and sex offender cases.

The number of prisoners in the state rose 13.2 percent, from 7,612 prisoners to 8,613 prisoners, from the year ended June 30, 2003, to the year ended June 30, 2004.

The nationwide increase was 2.3 percent, with a total of 2.1 million people incarcerated in the nation's prisons and jails as of June 30, 2004, according to figures released Sunday by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Although Minnesota's prison population is increasing rapidly, the state still ranks at the bottom for percentage of its population that is incarcerated, said Liz Bogut, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections.

[Rakkasan1]

The incarceration rate in Minnesota is 150 inmates per 100,000 in population, which ties the state with Maine for the lowest rate in the nation. The national average is 429 inmates per 100,000 population.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Well, it's clear that we need to imprison more scumbags. This state should be proud to lead the nation as a state that cares about it's people. If they need clues where to look for criminals, I can show them one or two places with good fishing.

[TKDietz]

"Well, it's clear that we need to imprison more scumbags."

Why? Minnesota's per capita prison incarceration rate may be low compared to other states today, but at 150 per 100,000 it's still higher than the national average ever was up until the late 1970's. Our national per capita prison incarceration rate never crested 150 until 1981. Before then it had never been even hit 140. For the most part it had stayed well below 130 and there were many periods of years where it was below 100. It was below 100 for several years up until 1974 and had been that low several times in our past. The highest we ever had before the 1970's was 139 per 100,000 way back in 1939.

http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t622.pdf

Note: This 150 for the state and 429 (actually BJS says it's 486, not 429) for the nation they are talking about only covers those in prison, not those in jail. The national average is over 700 when you factor in jail populations along with state and federal prisons.

[TKDietz]

"The highest we ever had before the 1970's was 139 per 100,000 way back in 1939."

Should say:
"The highest we ever had before the 1970's was _137_ per 100,000 way back in 1939."

[TKDietz]

"According to the Justice Policy Institute, which advocates a more lenient system of punishment, the United States has a higher rate of incarceration than any other country, followed by Britain, China, France, Japan and Nigeria."

This isn't exactly right. The other listed countries do have lower incarceration rates, but there are others with higher rates than them. For instance, the UK has an incarceration rate of 141 per 100,000, but three fifths of the countries in the world have incarceration rates lower than 150 per 100,000. China reports that their incarceration rate is 117 per 100,000. The countries right behind us are Russia (606), Belarus (554), Kazakhstan and the U.S. Virgin Islands (both 522), The Cayman Islands (501), Turkmenistan (489), Belize (459), Bermuda (447), Suriname (437), Dominica (420, and Ukraine (415). These numbers include prison and jail populations. The US has over 700 per 100,000 incarcerated in state and federal prisons and jails.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r234.pdf

[WorkingClassFilth]

Take a drive through Minneapolis and St.Paul and it will be clear to you that they still need to imprison more scumbags.