One in every 36 California adults is under the control of the state corrections system, either in prison, in jail, on parole or on probation. That's just a few less than the national average of 1 in 31, according to a new report released this week by the Pew Center on the States. One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections is a unique, first-of-its-kind national study of U.S. corrections systems. The report compares 2007 corrections statistics with those from 1984, providing national averages as well as a fact sheet for each state. The Pew Center is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the statistical analysis of problems affecting U.S. society.
Today, the lives of more than 7.3 million Americans, or 1 in 31, are controlled by state corrections systems, according to the Pew report. That's more than double the corrections' population in 1984 when the figure was 1 in 77. For minorities, the numbers are more disturbing: 1 in 11 for blacks and 1 in 27 for Latinos. In fact, nationwide one in every 18 men is in the corrections system.
Nationally, California ranked around the middle on state breakdowns at 1 in 36. With 1 in 13, Georgia had the highest number of individuals in its corrections system; New Hampshire, the lowest with 1 in 88.
Following the national trend, California's corrections population has nearly doubled since 1982 when the number of individuals in the corrections system was 1 in 69. Of the 2007 corrections population, 27% were in prison or jail, compared to 12% in 1982. Statistics for 2007 show that nearly twice as many felons in California are paroled or on probation (1 in 56) as are incarcerated in state prisons or jails (1 in 102).
The increase in corrections population has come with a staggering increase in cost. In 2008, California spent $9.66 billion on corrections, 9.3% of the state's general fund. According to the Pew report, for every dollar California spent on prisons, it spent 15 cents on parole. For the cost of keeping one individual in prison for one day ($134.84), 12 days of parole can be provided.
California officials have been concerned for months about prison over crowding. Coupled with the state's disastrous finances, plans are being discussed to release hundreds of prison and jail inmates back into communities. Increasing options for alternative sentencing is just one of several viable solutions being discussed.
On Friday: Possible solutions
