[quote=http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/nation ... in-prison/]In recent years, federal sentencing guidelines have been revised, resulting in less severe prison terms for low-level drug offenders. But Harrison, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, remains one of tens of thousands of inmates who were convicted in the “war on drugs” of the 1980s and 1990s and who are still behind bars.
Harsh sentencing policies, including mandatory minimums, continue to have lasting consequences for inmates and the nation’s prison system. Today, prisoners 50 and older represent the fastest-growing population in crowded federal correctional facilities, their ranks having swelled by 25 percent to nearly 31,000 from 2009 to 2013.
Some prisons have needed to set up geriatric wards, while others have effectively been turned into convalescent homes.
The aging of the prison population is driving health-care costs being borne by American taxpayers. The Bureau of Prisons saw health-care expenses for inmates increase 55 percent from 2006 to 2013, when it spent more than $1 billion. That figure is nearly equal to the entire budget of the U.S. Marshals Service or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to the Justice Department’s inspector general, who is conducting a review of the impact of the aging inmate population on prison activities, housing and costs.[/quote]
The Painful Price of Aging in Prison
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MachineGhost
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The Painful Price of Aging in Prison
"All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called 'Facts'. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain." -- Thomas Hobbes
Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet. I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!
Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet. I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!
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Libertarian666
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Re: The Painful Price of Aging in Prison
If Rand Paul is elected President, I suspect one of his early actions would be to pardon everyone in Federal prison who was convicted only of non-violent marijuana offenses, which is a LOT of people.
And I think he should announce that during his run, as it would garner him a lot of support from the large anti-pot-war segment of the population.
And I think he should announce that during his run, as it would garner him a lot of support from the large anti-pot-war segment of the population.
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Stewardship
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Re: The Painful Price of Aging in Prison
I suspect you're an optimistLibertarian666 wrote: I suspect one of his early actions would be to pardon everyone in Federal prison who was convicted only of non-violent marijuana offenses, which is a LOT of people.
In a world of ever-increasing financial intangibility and government imposition, I tend to expect otherwise.
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MachineGhost
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Re: The Painful Price of Aging in Prison
Pipe dreams have a way of coming true when the unexpected happens.
"All generous minds have a horror of what are commonly called 'Facts'. They are the brute beasts of the intellectual domain." -- Thomas Hobbes
Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet. I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!
Disclaimer: I am not a broker, dealer, investment advisor, physician, theologian or prophet. I should not be considered as legally permitted to render such advice!