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Prison Map

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Re: Prison Map

#61
post #21

I am always utterly amazed by the level of incarceration in the US. Here is one of the 'top' country in the world, whatever metric you use for stable western democracies, and yet, a huge proportion of its population is spending or has spent some time incarcerated. Whatever explanation is given, it seems unfathomable that a democratic country could end-up with higher incarceration rates than the worse dictatorships.

It isn't only the incarceration rates that are problematic. For example the police can legally steal stuff/money - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks "civil forfeiture". Being on the poorer end of society leads to more adverse outcomes in the "justice" system. For people who have been incarcerated, getting back into society is hard since the system is not about rehabilitation. Recidivism rates are higher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recidivism

Or on a more personal note, how about a 79 year old man with the early stages of alzheimers and dementia put in prison, isolated, and denied a phone call, access to lawyers or even being able to let anyone know this has happened for 3 months? Innocent until proven guilty doesn't even apply, let alone basic justice.

Re: Prison Map

#62

You should take it one step further! Add some interesting information to each prison, especially if it is one lead by a private company, and, most important, the actual profit. Then in the next step add some charts, user login, connect to a payment service and make it a really cool prison investment exchange! Maybe you could issue some prisoncoins based on the profit numbers. Of course do not forget to publish your o…

I know you're joking, but there are prison start ups, and JPay is a very successful one: http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/09/30/15761/prison-banke...

Re: Prison Map

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Drugs, at least the illegal ones, can/do/will land you in jail and eventually prison. Marijuana possession alone is enough, depending on how much you have and/or how it is packages (ie "with intent to distribute"). This depends on which state you are in, whether you are caught while crossing a state line (air travel) and the colour of the uniform on the officer who catches you (federal v. state). Some states hav…

Thank you for that last part. As a non US citizen i never knew there even was a difference between jails and prisons. Interesting :)

I should have added that prisons are physically different. Most of the structures recognizable in the OP are prisons, multiple buildings separated by open yards. Jails are more likely to be a single converted building, with the roof open for exercise. They cannot be spotted on google maps.

Take a look at this infamous jail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Towers_Correctional_Facili...

Re: Prison Map

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While simple possession could land you in jail, it's very rare for that to happen. There are 750,000 weed arrests in the US and maybe 500 people are in jail for simple possession only. The big way weed gets you to jail is because it's a conviction that breaks your parole and you get sent back for your previous crime.

Backed up by Rolling Stone at http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/top-10-marijuana-m...

That article only speaks to the prison population. It doesn't count those in jails, those serving less than one year. For simple possession it is unlikely that anyone would be sent away for more than a year so I'm not surprised that so few are in prisons. Jails are a totally different story. They've got lots of people in after being arrested for pot.

Re: Prison Map

#65
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only 8% of the prisoners in US are in private facilities according to DoJ: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p13.pdf -- where is your source for the claim that every prison is a "profit center" ?

How many of them have to use overpriced banking and telephony services because some monopoly needs to make a profit?

As well as the commissary, which is often operated by a private company.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/magazine/what-a-tv-show-ca...

Re: Prison Map

#67
post #21

I am always utterly amazed by the level of incarceration in the US. Here is one of the 'top' country in the world, whatever metric you use for stable western democracies, and yet, a huge proportion of its population is spending or has spent some time incarcerated. Whatever explanation is given, it seems unfathomable that a democratic country could end-up with higher incarceration rates than the worse dictatorships.

It isn't only the incarceration rates that are problematic. For example the police can legally steal stuff/money - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks "civil forfeiture". Being on the poorer end of society leads to more adverse outcomes in the "justice" system. For people who have been incarcerated, getting back into society is hard since the system is not about rehabilitation. Recidivism rates are higher htt…

Definitely sounds like a country where I'd rather not live. A prison system built for maximizing profit can only fall into corruption. Rehabilitation, while being of the utmost importance to society, goes completely against the objectives of a business who would thrive on offenders that keep getting jailed.

What a perversion.

Re: Prison Map

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While simple possession could land you in jail, it's very rare for that to happen. There are 750,000 weed arrests in the US and maybe 500 people are in jail for simple possession only. The big way weed gets you to jail is because it's a conviction that breaks your parole and you get sent back for your previous crime.

Please do some research on this. I guarantee you there are more than 500 people in jail at any given time for possession of weed. At least two out of roughly 40 people in my pod when I spent a week in jail were there for possession of marijuana alone.

Simple possession or with intent to distribute?

Or are we talking about awaiting a bail hearing?

Re: Prison Map

#69
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't only the incarceration rates that are problematic. For example the police can legally steal stuff/money - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks "civil forfeiture". Being on the poorer end of society leads to more adverse outcomes in the "justice" system. For people who have been incarcerated, getting back into society is hard since the system is not about rehabilitation. Recidivism rates are higher htt…

Definitely sounds like a country where I'd rather not live. A prison system built for maximizing profit can only fall into corruption. Rehabilitation, while being of the utmost importance to society, goes completely against the objectives of a business who would thrive on offenders that keep getting jailed. What a perversion.

Note that it is more than just maximizing profit. Prison guard unions are politically strong and they too campaign for more prisons and more occupants, because it means more jobs and union members.

Re: Prison Map

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please do some research on this. I guarantee you there are more than 500 people in jail at any given time for possession of weed. At least two out of roughly 40 people in my pod when I spent a week in jail were there for possession of marijuana alone.

Simple possession or with intent to distribute? Or are we talking about awaiting a bail hearing?

When you are arrested in the United States, you are taken to jail. After you have your bond set, you will be released upon someone posting bail. You stated that it's very rare for simple possession to land you in jail. There was one person in jail for having been arrested with weed, and another arrested for paraphernalia. Both may have received a sentence of time served plus probation, but that doesn't negate the fact that lots of space in our jails at any given time is being filled up by people arrested with marijuana.
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