I'm finishing my AdvocacyVolunteerToolkit from Prison Fellowship today. Learning about the growth in prisons, prison budgets and how we arrived with the system of justice we have. I started this training after George Floyd but the ensuing riots have me thinking that people will want "harsher" treatment of criminal activity, not more understanding mental health based corrections. Here's what I've learned:
Drug trafficking offense makes up 50% of the 190,000 inmates in federal. While budgets for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is up to 7 billion annually (more than a quarter of DOJ's budget) capacity is about 50% over-capacity, dangerous for both prisoners and staff. About half of BOP population is housed over 250 miles from home, making it very difficult for prisoners to remain in touch with family. The Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections found that the quality and availability of rehabilitative programs in federal facilities vary widely. More that 60,000 people are released from federal prison each year.
- Reminds me of a TV show locked up abroad, it can always be worse - but USA has gotten crazy. My nephew told me about his dad being in jail and the family would go to visit him there in Africa. While terrible it seemed to be more open.
Prison Fellowship federal legislative agenda: Federal sentencing, expanded prison programming and earned time credits, support for post-release reentry programs.
The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act seeks to ensure that punishments are proportionate. By reducing mandatory minimums in some cases, and granting judges more flexibility in sentencing, the proposed changes will make the criminal justice system more efficient, more effective, and more fair.
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