Prisoner Reentry

From 1987 to 2007, states collectively increased their spending on corrections by more than 315% (from $10.6 billion to $44 billion). Nearly all of the funds spent on state corrections systems are allocated to prisons, and between 1985 and 2000, spending on prisons grew at more than five times the rate of higher education. Today’s prison population includes many who are suffering from mental illness and/or addictions, as well as many non-violent and first-time offenders whose incarceration was dictated by mandatory sentences. But widespread incarceration may be creating more problems that it solves. The children of convicts are more likely to end up in the system themselves. Ex-offenders often struggle to find jobs and housing, putting additional strain on homeless shelters and emergency rooms, and leading to higher rates of recidivism. 

Photo: flickr.com/:Dar.

Created On: 04/26/2011