Editorial: Fewer People in Jail
Even President Bill Clinton, who in 1994 signed a law that multiplied the prison population, now acknowledges the failure of the measure.
SPANISH VERSION
It is time to change the justice system and prevent the massive incarceration of people who have committed misdemeanors. It is also time to stop sending small offenders to jail, or keeping them in the prison of prohibitively high bails. Society does not benefit from imprisoning more people who often come out in a worse condition that they went in, and with reduced chances to re-insert themselves to society.
President Obama’s visit to a federal prison ‒ the first of its kind in history ‒ and his decision to reform the justice system are a good start in preventing an increase in the disproportionate number of people currently behind bars, which is now nearly 1.5 million, the highest in the world. In the U.S., for every 100,000 inhabitants, 724 are in jail. Russia follows, in a distant second place, with 581.
For many, incarceration only triggers a vicious circle of stultification and relapse. After doing time, many ex-convicts lack the tools to become righteous, hard-working, family-oriented citizens, and return to violence and jail.
Even President Bill Clinton, who in 1994 signed a law that multiplied the prison population, now acknowledges the failure of the measure.
Decades of demagoguery have allowed non-violent crimes to be punished with mandatory jail time, depriving the Justice Department of its authority to assign sentences proportional to the offense.
The country’s penal system has become a gigantic private enterprise in recent years, and the public costs add to billions of dollars. Tax payers contribute nearly $38,000 every year nationwide per prisoner. In California, the figure increases to $47,000; in New York, to $167,000.
If invested in educational and economic reform, these funds would help reduce the prison population, prevent repeat offenses and create hope for hundreds of thousands of families.
This is why it is urgent to lower sentences for non-violent offenses throughout the country.
The City of New York has established a fund to pay bonds of up to $2,000 for people accused of misdemeanors, and is currently reviewing the way these crimes and other felonies are prosecuted.
Last November, California voters approved Proposition 47, aimed at reducing prison overpopulation by reclassifying non-violent crimes as felonies or misdemeanors.
Putting more people in jail is not the solution. Education, jobs and social assistance are much more helpful in reducing crime and building a safer, fairer future for all.
