Michael Mitchell Archives - Talk Poverty https://talkpoverty.org/person/michael-mitchell/ Real People. Real Stories. Real Solutions. Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:44:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://cdn.talkpoverty.org/content/uploads/2016/02/29205224/tp-logo.png Michael Mitchell Archives - Talk Poverty https://talkpoverty.org/person/michael-mitchell/ 32 32 Mapping the Extraordinary Growth in State Prison Populations https://talkpoverty.org/2014/12/04/growth-in-state-prison-populations/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:00:17 +0000 http://talkpoverty.abenson.devprogress.org/?p=5482 Continued]]> This interactive map charts the huge growth in state prison populations in recent decades and its growing impact on state budgets.  Most states’ prison populations are at historic highs; in 36 states, they’ve more than tripled as a share of the overall population since 1978.  Total state corrections spending rose from $20 billion to over $47 billion between 1986 and 2013, after adjusting for inflation.

State economies would be much stronger over time if states invested more in education —which many states have cut in recent years — and other areas that can boost long-term economic growth and less in maintaining extremely high prison populations.  Our recent report discusses how states can reduce incarceration rates and shift the savings to more productive uses.

 

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