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A comment on FBI used Etsy, LinkedIn to make arrest in torching of Philadelphia police cars. Parent comment

Re:FBI used Etsy, LinkedIn to make arrest in torching of Phi... by rootusrootus on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @09:05PM (#23558712)
> average cost of incarceration costs about 70k

In 2015, according to [0], the average was about half that.

> minimum sentence of 5 years is going to run 1.2 mil

How do you get from 70K (presumably per year) to $1.2M over five years? On average it should be more like $135K, with some cheaper states spending about half that.

[0] https://www.vera.org/publications/price-of-prisons-2015-stat...

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Re:FBI used Etsy, LinkedIn to make arrest in torching of Phi... by jethro_tell on Thursday June 18, 2020 @01:48PM (#23565621)
Bad Math.

These numbers are quite a bit lower, I was reading the CA LAO numbers from 18-19 the other day and didn't really factor in cheaper states.

Even at 135k, the cost to society is 135k + the cost of the car + lost productivity of the individual and the economic drag that has on the immediate community, family/roomates/partners and such. At that price, getting community service is a major cost savings and getting repayment is even better.

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