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A comment on Quarter of inmates could have been spared prison without risk, study says. Parent comment

Re:Quarter of inmates could have been spared prison without ... by edblarney on Monday December 12, 2016 @06:51AM (#13157395)
"Financial incentives to maintain prison head-counts is a crime against humanity."

I'm not so sure about this.

It's the police/prosecutors that put people in there, and parole hearing folks as well - neither of which are 'private entities'.

So, the connection between 'headcount' and 'ownership' is not so direct.

It's entirely plausible that a small change in law could affect how many are actually put in prison.

Obviously - lobbying is an issue, but it's indirect.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Quarter of inmates could have been spared prison without ... by edblarney on Monday December 12, 2016 @06:57AM (#13157410)
I think the problem in the US is the odd way you prosecute - you can do 'one thing' and up getting charted with '10 things' and getting 10 stacked sentences which adds up to 100 years.

Also - the punishment for small amounts of weed in most states is insane.

Likewise - the drinking age is crazy high in the US.

Some minor changes in the law could really quite radically affect how many people are in jail.

[ Parent | on HN ]