Net worth: America now has the largest incarceration rate in the world
April 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment
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| Photo: Dean Rohrer |
One in every 31 U.S. citizens is in some part of the criminal justice system: parole, probation, jail or prison. Of those, a recent Pew research study says, 1 in every 45 citizens is on probation or parole and 1 in 100 is in jail or prison.
America now has the largest incarceration rate in the world. The number of imprisoned American citizens is far greater than any of the 36 largest European inmate populations, including Russia.
Many questions arise from this information. Three questions stand out: Why do we imprison so many Americans? Is the person leaving prison a better citizen for the experience? And why are so few individuals incarcerated in Europe?
Thirty to 40 years ago, American criminal-justice policy began shifting away from a progressive approach to the treatment of offenders. This approach included physical and mental health care, rehabilitation (including job preparation) and providing educational opportunities for inmates. The policy focused on zero tolerance and inflicting the maximum, legally allowed violence on offender populations.
As one member of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington noted, prisons should be a living hell for inmates. The belief was that extreme violence perpetrated against the inmate would result in a better citizen — a solution that was simple to understand and seemed reasonable. However, the origins of criminal behavior are complicated. Simple solutions rarely solve complex problems, and this was true with offender behavior.
What happens to inmates incarcerated under these conditions does not lead to improved citizenship. Quite the contrary occurs, as suggested by research, which showed that without treatment, the longer an individual is incarcerated the more psychopathic he becomes. Compounding the problem is the fact than many of the most violent inmates return to society without supervision. Since they never gain “good time” they end up “going flat” — that is, doing every day of their sentence in prison. In my years working at a SuperMax prison, I saw many exceptionally violent inmates leave prison under these two conditions.
The third question comes from data that shows that Denmark and Italy only incarcerate 67 citizens for every 750 (per 100,000 population) in America. Part of the answer begins well before a person enters into the nation’s criminal justice system. Information from the Luxembourg Income Study can help. It has shown that violence decreases in relationship to a nation’s willingness to share its wealth with citizens who are struggling economically. This is accomplished via social safety networks. These social networks include national health care and unemployment insurance, as well as welfare and family benefits.
Nations with the strongest social safety nets have the least number of citizens engaging in criminal behavior. As an example, the homicide rate in the United States is 6.6 per 100,000 residents, while the average for Europe is 1.5 per 100,000 residents. European countries have much stronger safety nets than America. Benefits are clear, but there also is a price. The downside is that the very wealthy in Europe have significantly less wealth than the richest citizens in America.
These nations also encourage a highly educated citizenry. Sweden, with an incarceration rate one-tenth of America’s, provides an important example. The state pays all tuition and other student fees. It purchases all textbooks. It provides cradle-to-grave health care and provides each student with a $700 stipend for living expenses.
What the country gains from this generosity pays long-term dividends. First, the greater the general educational level, the better the decisions made in the voting booth. Second, increases in educational levels lead to higher wages, which provides a greater tax base for governmental programs.
During this discussion it is important to note recent positive developments in America, which includes progress in a move away from mass incarcerations. The policy of the last few decades was collapsing under economic stressors before our current financial crisis. This has led to more progressive policies. Many Alabama counties such as Calhoun County are developing substance abuse and other treatment programs that divert many offenders from going to prison. One sheriff said, “We did this (created a substance abuse treatment program for jail inmates) because the folks we sent to prison were coming back to the county worse than when we sent them off.”
A second change in the Southern states’ departments of correction is the process of creating stronger mental health/medical programs, job training and GED opportunities for inmates. Research has show recidivism rates decline when inmates (who need it) earn a GED.
Third, the Biopsychosocial Model for dealing with offenders is gaining in popularity. The model allows the psychologist or counselor to develop more comprehensive diagnoses of inmates. This model includes assessing the offender for issues such as head trauma, genetic predispositions, neurotransmitter dysfunctions and personality traits, as well as family and neighborhood stressors. Assessments such as these lead to treatments designed to address problems specific to the adolescent or adult offender.
These improvements can reduce the size of our offender population and our state’s recidivism rates. That’s encouraging news for voting citizens, elected officials and offenders alike.
Ronald R. Mellen is a correctional psychologist and professor of criminal justice at Jacksonville State University.
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