Failure of Humanity

FAILURE OF HUMANITY

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The Pennsylvania Prison Society
Social justice since 1787

America’s justice system

Our justice system is
built on legalities — not
fairness


As a result, we have seen
rapid growth and severe
overuse of prisons over
the past 25 years


There are glaring and
unconscionable
disparities such as …


Penalties for crack vs.
powdered cocaine



Extraordinarily long
mandatory sentences for
minor or coincidental
involvement in a crime


And, giving juveniles
with underdeveloped
mental capacity
sentences of life without
parole


This distorted version of
justice falls most heavily
on marginalized
members of society


The poor



The weak



The unskilled


The mentally ill

www.flickr.com/Yanapaskova



The undereducated



And, of course, minorities



Sadly, these are the
people caught up in our
obsession with
punishment


Some say they wind up
in prisons because
they commit the most
crimes . . .


… that’s not entirely
true!


Unequal justice

In our justice system —


Unequal justice

Police are more active in
poorer neighborhoods
than wealthier
communities . . .

Unequal justice

. . . so more poor people get arrested

Unequal justice

More poor people are
convicted because they
cannot afford competent
defense lawyers

Unequal justice

Minorities receive
longer sentences
because prosecutors
have discretion in
levying charges

Unequal justice

The numbers don’t
lie . . .


Unequal justice
In 1993, 851 per 100,000 black
males were incarcerated in South
Africa under apartheid
In 2006, 4,919 per 100,000 black
males were incarcerated in
America


Unequal justice

Substantial racial and
ethnic disparities are
found in virtually all
jurisdictions within the
United States

Unequal justice

Beginning with arrests


Unequal justice

Continuing through
incarceration and
parole

Unequal justice in PA

Consider: Nine out of 10
inmates sentenced to
death were too poor to
afford an attorney at trial
in Pennsylvania


Pennsylvania ranks
second in the
percentage of African
Americans on death
row The Pennsylvania Prison Society


Blacks are sentenced at
a disproportionately
higher rate than non-
blacks for the same
charges

Who is in prison?

“One in 30 men
between 20 and 34 is
behind bars.”
Pew Center on the States’ 2008 Report

www.Flickr.com/Mark Regan


Who is in prison?

Men 18 and older
WHITE HISPANIC BLACK
1 in 106 1 in 36 1 in 15


Who is in prison?

Men
99 percent of the 140,000
veterans in state and federal
prisons are male


Who is in prison?

Women 18 or older
WHITE HISPANIC BLACK
1 in 859 1 in 436 1 in 203


Who is in prison?

Women 18 or older
Majority have suffered physical
and mental abuses
One out of three diagnosed with
mental health problem


Who is in prison?

Juveniles
Children under 18 sentenced to
life without parole:
In US prisons 2371
In the rest of the world 0

Who is in prison?

Juveniles in PA
More than 400 juvenile
lifers
More than half sentenced
in Philadelphia County

Who is in prison?

Percentage of prisoners by race

Black
White
Hispanic
Other


The original intent of penitentiaries

Contrary to popular
belief, penitentiaries
were initially
supposed to be more
humane because they
eliminated physical
punishment and torture


19th century prisons

In the 19th Century criminal
punishment in America was a model
for the world
Governments around the globe sent
delegates to study America’s much-
admired prison system

The modern prison

But, the
next few
centuries
told another story…

The modern prison

Modern penitentiaries
have moved away from
physical torture, but
heightened mental and
emotional suffering …

The modern prison
Confinement far from home
Lack of jobs and other productive
activities
Catch-22 type regulations that
require completion of programs that
are unavailable
Overcrowding

The modern prison

The Dramatic Rise in Incarceration

2500000
2, 273, 407
2000000
Numbers of 1, 965, 667
1500000
People in
Prison 1000000 1, 148, 702

338, 029 474, 368
500000 180, 889
272, 955
252, 615
332, 945

110, 099
112, 362
0
Year 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007

Source: Justice Policy Institute at the U.S Department of Justice Data and www.prisonsucks.com


US vs. world numbers

More than any other nation
2.3 million people are
incarcerated
US is global leader in
incarceration rate — 750 per
100,000


The United States vs. World's Prison Populations
The U ni t e d St a t e s
All othe r countries The United S ta tes
28% Chi na
24%
Ru ssi a

Ira n

Br a zi l
S ou th Af ric a 2%
T ha ila n d 2% I ndi a
3%
Me xi c o Me xi c o
I ndi a 4 % Tha i l a nd
China
%
B r a z il 5 Ira n 19% So ut h Afr i c a
Russia
2%
11% Al l o t he r c o unt r i e s

Source: The Justice Policy Institute and the International Centre for Prison Studies, London



Rate of Incarceration per 100,000 of National Population
World Competitor HR
US Average EU Countries Abusers
800

600

400

200

0
Source: The National Council on Crime and Delinquency


Pennsylvania numbers

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There are nine federal prisons


There are more than
14,000 federal prisoners
costing about $40,000
annually per inmate

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There are 26 state prisons in mostly rural areas


More than 46,000
state inmates costing
about $34,000/year
per inmate

And 67 county prisons — one in each county
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More than 35,000
county inmates costing
about $25,000/year per
inmate

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There are a total of 102 federal, state and county prisons

Pennsylvania
State Budget Projections

The FY 2009 Capital
Budget calls for
construction of three
new state prisons
$200 million each

Pennsylvania
State Budget Projections

Budget also requests four new
housing units
$800 million more may also be
needed if policy and sentencing
changes are not enacted

Corrections projections
for Pennsylvania

State prisons are
expected to grow by
170 inmates a month
for the next four years

Corrections projections
for Pennsylvania

It will cost taxpayers:
$650,000,000 in capital
expenses
$180,000,000 in annual
operating costs

Cost of corrections

In 2007, the US
spent more than
$49 billion on
corrections and is
expected to spend
another $25 billion
by 2011.
Pew Center on the States 2008 Report


Cost of corrections
vs. higher education

In 2007, the rate of
increase for prison costs
was six times greater than
for higher education
spending

Cost of corrections
vs. society

► Weakens fabric of communities
► Creates a huge tax burden
► Drains money from education, child
care and welfare
► Increases
crime, poverty and
unemployment

Distorts government representation

Increases political
disenfranchisement — loss
of voting rights

13.6 percent of black men in
Flickr.com/Ben Heine
the US can’t vote because of
a felony conviction

Distorts government
representation


Failure of humanity

Prisons are
being overused,
but not because
of increases in
crime

Failure of humanity

Instead, this overuse
results from poor
policy choices . . .

Failure of humanity

. . . and a penchant to
punish rather than
rehabilitate

Failure of humanity

Many people think
problems are solved and
the story ends when
someone goes to prison

Failure of humanity

But prison is closer to
the beginning of the
story

Failure of humanity

Nine out of 10 inmates
return home and face
extraordinary obstacles to
re-entry

Failure of humanity

We must
put fairness
at the
forefront of
justice . . .


Failure of humanity

. . . or accept a continued
Failure of Humanity


FAILURE OF HUMANITY
“A man who has lost his self-respect
has nothing valuable to lose in society.”
Dr. Benjamin Rush
Signer of Declaration of Independence and Founder, Pennsylvania Prison Society


Failure of Humanity

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