Public Overwhelmingly Agrees: Prisons Are Impotent
by Anthony Sibley (AJ) on Mar 6, 2014 | Views: 268 | Score: 5
Strongly Agree... some money spent on low-risk, non-violent inmates should be shifted to alternatives to incarceration (%) | Total Agree (%) | |
---|---|---|
Democrats | 67 | 91 |
Independents | 57 | 85 |
Republicans | 49 | 77 |
Sources:
pewstates.org, nytimes.com
A recent Pew study found widespread support across party, age, and ethnic groups for shorter sentences and alternatives to incarceration for non-violent crimes. Studies have shown these methods, such as probation periods, to be equally-- or more-- effective than simply locking more individuals up for longer times. Irrefutably, these measures are less expensive: annually, the U.S. pays $31,286 per prisoner.