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In the overwhelming aftermath of both praise and partisan attacks on President Trump and his State of the Union address, Trump’s mention of prison reform in the speech seemed like more of an afterthought. The mention itself was rather short, with little more than a few sentences devoted to the topic:
“As America regains its strength, this opportunity must be extended to all citizens. That is why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance,” Trump told Congress members and guests.
While most State of the Union addresses are filled with lofty rhetoric that all too often fails to deliver, Trump’s proposal, in its brevity, appears to focus on helping ex-cons obtain work opportunities once they leave prison.
Unfortunately, this will do nothing to change the fact that America incarcerates far more prisoners, both on a total number and per capita basis, than any other nation in the world:
By every measure the U.S. leads the world in prisoners, with 2.2 million people in jail and more than 4.8 million on parole. No nation tops that – not China with 1.7 million, not Russia with 670,000.
We not only have the highest number of prisoners, we have the highest percentage of people in prison or jail. In the U.S., 702 of every 100,000 people were in prison or jail in 2013. Cuba has 510 per 100,000 people in prison, Russia has 467, and Iran has 290.
Adults in Prison or Jail In The US
The exponential increase in prisoners isn’t due solely to population growth in the US – it is due to the war on drugs. As the above chart details, as the war on drugs expanded in the 80s, so did the US prison population. As Drug War Facts articulates, the number and percentage of prisoners in US prisons is staggering:
Federal Prisons:
“Forty-seven percent (81,900) of sentenced federal prisoners on September 30, 2016 (the most recent date for which federal offense data are available) were serving time for a drug offense (table 14; table 15).
State Prisons:
“Among sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities on December 31, 2015, 15% (197,200 prisoners) had been convicted of a drug offense as their most serious crime.”
The US Dept. of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that at yearend 2015, 1,298,159 people were serving sentences in state prisons in the US, of whom 197,200 (15.2% of the total) had as their most serious offence a drug charge: 44,700 for drug possession (3.4% of the total), and 152,500 for “other” drug offenses, including manufacturing and sale (11.7% of the total).
This data brings us to Free Market Shooter’s prison reform strategy:
The easiest way to reform prisons and markedly reduce the population of prisoners locked up in the US is to end the war on drugs, or at the very least, reduce the scope of enforcing the war on drugs.
While I am a proponent of “full decriminalization” of all federally controlled substances, I understand that this is outside the Overton Window and not politically feasible in this country. So I would propose a simpler solution – decriminalization of smaller amounts of drugs that do not constitute trafficking, manufacture or delivery of illegal drugs. If “harder” drugs such as cocaine or heroin cannot be included in this decriminalization, I would gladly accept marijuana and other less harmful drugs. (Note: The author does not use any drugs, legal or illegal, with the exception of infrequent alcohol consumption)
If you look at the data, it appears that this is not going to make much of a dent in the number of incarcerated individuals. However, it would be a meaningful “first step” towards ending the war on drugs, and ensuring that only the worst criminals are punished.
However, we should all hold our expectations low if this is what we are expecting of Trump’s proposed prison reform. Not only was it not mentioned at all in his speech, but it appears that Jeff Sessions is “on board” with Trump’s prison reform strategy:
The general counsel of Koch Industries reportedly said Attorney General Jeff Sessions “is totally on board” with the Trump administration’s plans to reform America’s prison system.
“I had a good discussion with him in a meeting at the White House a couple of weeks ago,” Mark Holden told CNN on Saturday.
“He believes in second chances. … So we’re going to meet people where they are. And hopefully we can get more success in this area when we show some success with prison reform.”
Lest you forget, this author has exposed Sessions’ naivete on marijuana:
And, in case you weren’t aware, this is the same Jeff Sessions who is on the record as being not only against medicinal marijuana, it is the same Jeff Sessions that has stated that marijuana is only slightly less awful than heroin:
And I am astonished to hear people suggest that we can solve our heroin crisis by legalizing marijuana – so people can trade one life-wrecking dependency for another that’s only slightly less awful.
Sessions is a major advocate not only of the expansion of private prisons, but of expansion of mandatory minimum sentences for drug convictions (and by proxy, the expansion of the overall prison population):
And if you think this has nothing to do with the war on drugs, think again:
For meaningful prison reform (and criminal justice reform) to be effective, a focus on reducing the size and scope of the drug war must be of paramount importance….
And while Trump’s call for prison reform is certainly welcome, it will likely become another empty promise if it is implemented by Jeff Sessions and/or not accompanied by a change in focus of the war on drugs, at an absolute minimum.
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Just build a wall around Baltimore – and ship them all there, to rob / kill / maim each other. Last man wins.
Realestatepup
January 31, 2018 4:25 pm
Follow Portugal’s example. It so far seems to be the best case scenario. Prison is far more costly than getting these people help, although a lot of private prisons would be out of business and the Corrections Officer’s union would put up a holy stink. So, the biggest money screamers would win at the expense of everyone else https://news.vice.com/article/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin
You are conflating two things, prison population and drugs being illegal. The reality is very few people go to ‘prison’ for simple drug possession even ‘hard’ drugs. Those that do usually do so because of some predicate offense such as armed robbery or another FELONY and the possession of illegal drugs violates the terms of their PAROLE or PROBATION. Thus their very presence on the streets is CONDITIONAL on their violating NO laws.
The reality is, given the criminality of certain populations, an honest system would lock far more people because they are CRIMINALS not because they use drugs. Drugs just is simply a way to get these criminals to plea bargain rather than have to empanel juries for more serious offenses.
You are correct – many of these people are not in for simple possession. They are major felonies with intent to distribute. But they plead down to a lesser charge.
MrLiberty
January 31, 2018 5:33 pm
He talked as well about high pharmaceutical prices, but unless the monopoly of the AMA/bigPharma (and all the other healthcare cartel participants) is destroyed (along with their protectionist arms in the FDA, DEA, CDC, etc. ) there will be NO point either. America needs FREEDOM restored. Freedom to own our own bodies once again, freedom to purchase medicines as WE see fit, freedom to purchase health care services as WE SEE FIT, freedom to purchase whatever insurance services WE SEE FIT, etc. Unless Trump wakes up and realizes that GOVERNMENT is at the root of all of our problems, nothing is ever going to change. And America needs to wake up to this same reality.
doug
January 31, 2018 6:24 pm
Drugs are not the problem any more than guns are. Same issue i.e. personal responsibility. Govt needs to get the hell out of drug interdiction and regulation. The stuff they allow as pharmaceuticals is worse than the drugs that get you high. Kills more people too. DEA are a bunch of thugs.
Random Factor
January 31, 2018 9:11 pm
There is no War on Drugs. There is a War on the Competition’s Drugs. Americans are the most drugged population on the planet.
The “War” is just a jobs program for double-digit IQ brigands and a handy scam for the Just-Us system to enrich itself. The Bandit Armies that infest the USA will not be easily disbanded or reduced.
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” – Frederic Bastiat
Overthecliff
January 31, 2018 9:32 pm
I don’t give a shit about reforming inmates and giving them a second chance. Most are scum that should be locked up in Brazillian like accomedatins. Screw them. They made their choices they should live with the consequences.
Maybe letting FSA use lots of drugs could be a good way to thin the herd . If they are sedated enough they won’t cause. Much trouble.
RHS Jr
February 1, 2018 1:18 am
California and Colorado are a doper’s paradise; move there and have a ball. You want to turn my state into a drug den, make my day.
Random Factor
February 1, 2018 8:04 am
Your State already is a drug den, regardless of which State it is, brought to you by Big Pharma, the AMA, and the FDA.
I suppose the fact that those drugs are legal makes the harm they do just fine and acceptable. The Hypocrisy is astounding.
SSS
Right on – hoo-wah!
Just build a wall around Baltimore – and ship them all there, to rob / kill / maim each other. Last man wins.
Follow Portugal’s example. It so far seems to be the best case scenario. Prison is far more costly than getting these people help, although a lot of private prisons would be out of business and the Corrections Officer’s union would put up a holy stink. So, the biggest money screamers would win at the expense of everyone else
https://news.vice.com/article/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin
Yeah, but they don’t get shit done in Portugal. Almost 3rd world.
Do what they do, become what they are.
You are conflating two things, prison population and drugs being illegal. The reality is very few people go to ‘prison’ for simple drug possession even ‘hard’ drugs. Those that do usually do so because of some predicate offense such as armed robbery or another FELONY and the possession of illegal drugs violates the terms of their PAROLE or PROBATION. Thus their very presence on the streets is CONDITIONAL on their violating NO laws.
The reality is, given the criminality of certain populations, an honest system would lock far more people because they are CRIMINALS not because they use drugs. Drugs just is simply a way to get these criminals to plea bargain rather than have to empanel juries for more serious offenses.
You are correct – many of these people are not in for simple possession. They are major felonies with intent to distribute. But they plead down to a lesser charge.
He talked as well about high pharmaceutical prices, but unless the monopoly of the AMA/bigPharma (and all the other healthcare cartel participants) is destroyed (along with their protectionist arms in the FDA, DEA, CDC, etc. ) there will be NO point either. America needs FREEDOM restored. Freedom to own our own bodies once again, freedom to purchase medicines as WE see fit, freedom to purchase health care services as WE SEE FIT, freedom to purchase whatever insurance services WE SEE FIT, etc. Unless Trump wakes up and realizes that GOVERNMENT is at the root of all of our problems, nothing is ever going to change. And America needs to wake up to this same reality.
Drugs are not the problem any more than guns are. Same issue i.e. personal responsibility. Govt needs to get the hell out of drug interdiction and regulation. The stuff they allow as pharmaceuticals is worse than the drugs that get you high. Kills more people too. DEA are a bunch of thugs.
There is no War on Drugs. There is a War on the Competition’s Drugs. Americans are the most drugged population on the planet.
The “War” is just a jobs program for double-digit IQ brigands and a handy scam for the Just-Us system to enrich itself. The Bandit Armies that infest the USA will not be easily disbanded or reduced.
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” – Frederic Bastiat
I don’t give a shit about reforming inmates and giving them a second chance. Most are scum that should be locked up in Brazillian like accomedatins. Screw them. They made their choices they should live with the consequences.
Maybe letting FSA use lots of drugs could be a good way to thin the herd . If they are sedated enough they won’t cause. Much trouble.
California and Colorado are a doper’s paradise; move there and have a ball. You want to turn my state into a drug den, make my day.
Your State already is a drug den, regardless of which State it is, brought to you by Big Pharma, the AMA, and the FDA.
I suppose the fact that those drugs are legal makes the harm they do just fine and acceptable. The Hypocrisy is astounding.
Good point, but I mean rooms full of passed out Dopers and we will get triggered literally.
i has been told that since pot was legalized in colorado ,opioid deaths has gone down–
any truth to it?
Yes. I have heard that alcohol consumption and DUIs are down too. No shock.