Report savages US prison system

[Joanne98]

By North America correspondent Kim Landers

Posted Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:36pm AEDT
Updated Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:40pm AEDT
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/20/2095872.htm

The report says the prison population has soared because longer sentences are being given out. (File photo) (AFP: Mike Simons)
The number of Americans in prison has risen eight-fold since 1970, but a study shows there has been little impact on crime rates.

A Washington-based criminal justice research group says there are 1.5 million people in state and federal prisons and another 750,000 in other jails.

The report says the prison population has soared because longer sentences are being given out.

It recommends shorter sentences, alternative punishments and decriminalising some drugs to cut the prison population in half and save more than $20 billion a year.

Currently one-third of all black males, one-sixth of Latino men and one in 17 white males will go to prison during their lives.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/20/2095872.htm