The huge increases in federal and state prison populations during the 1980s and '90s (from 139 per 100,000 residents in 1980 to 482 per 100,000 in 2003) were mainly for drug convictions. In 1980, 580,900 Americans were arrested on drug charges. By 2003, that figure had ballooned to 1,678,200. We're making more arrests for drug offenses than for murder, manslaughter, forcible rape and aggravated assault combined. Feel safer?
I got to thinking about this overnight. NZ has the second highest imprisonment rate in the western world at 178 per 100,000. So how many people do we lock up for drug convictions? From 2003;
In the US;
Percent of sentenced
State inmates
1995 2002
Total 100 % 100 %
Violent 47 51
Property 23 20
Drug 22 21
Public-order 9 7
So although the percentage of people locked up for drug offences in the States is much higher than here, 21 percent as opposed to 9 percent, it is something of a myth that the high American prison rate of 486 per 100,000 in 2004 is solely due to drug offences (although many of the violent offences stem from the war on drugs). It might also be suggested that the percentage of non-violent drug offenders is higher in the States than in NZ.
Interesting that NZ separates "sex" crimes out from "violent".
1 comment:
The crime rates are also impacted by the drug war in another way. US prisons, due to overcrowding, release prisoners early. So to make room for a pot dealer they release a real criminal. This increases the crime rate for real crimes.
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