The Economic Burden of Incarceration

by Emily Suse

Provided by The 21st Century

The economic disadvantages that occur from excessively long sentences for nonviolent offenders affects the stability of our nation’s economy. According to Prison Policy Initiative, incarceration in the US costs $182 billion dollars per year. These expenses come from many areas, such as: prison staff, bail bond companies, phone companies, janitorial services, health care, and operational costs.

Reforming the criminal justice system can lead to economic improvements.

Vox Media adds “[f]or reference, NASA’s annual budget is around $18 billion — meaning we could fund around 10 NASA-size agencies with all the money that goes to mass incarceration.” This startling statistic further demonstrates the impact that incarceration costs have on the entire country.

The American Legislative Exchange Council claims that “new and innovative state policies that reduce prison populations, prioritize criminal justice spending and help rehabilitate and restore offenders’ lives” is the key to ending corruption and bias in the system.

In 2010, North Carolina passed the Justice Reinvestment Act which is a “data driven approach to public safety that will reduce spending on corrections and reinvest the savings in ways that prevent recidivism and hold offenders accountable for their actions.” This has allowed the state to close ten jails, see an eleven percent decrease in crime, and save $48 million in one year.

These statistics support the idea that it is possible to reduce crime and incarceration rates simultaneously. One way this can be done is by providing rehabilitation services for non-violent offenders, in an effort to have them released.

Texas decided to reform their criminal justice system in 2007. Instead of spending $2 billion on new prisons, the money was used for positive alternatives. According to Right On Crime, “[t]he front-end reform items included 800 new residential substance abuse treatment beds and 3,000 more outpatient substance abuse treatment slots.” More than ten years later, Texas is still seeing positive results from their reforms. The state has closed six prisons, with four more scheduled to be shut down soon. The reforms have also contributed to an increase in public safety because of a decrease in criminal activity.

It is time that more states correct their justice systems. Not only does it improve the lives of citizens, it offers tremendous economic advantages.