Chapter 10

How do the authors summarize findings of their study (p. 219-220)?

– Poor/Petty/”Losers” with “few options in life”

– Aspire to a conventional life – In and out of trouble until they age out – Mislabeled “dangerous criminals”– Eventually warehoused for long terms

Chapter 10

How expensive are prisons - why are new prisons more expensive than they appear to be (Table 10-1)?

Two models:Prosperous states - Lower CR - union workersPoorer states - Higher CR - non union workers

(“criminals” poor and dispro minority in both)

Costs & “hidden costs” (lost taxes, welfare) **Table 10-1 223

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Chapter 10

Has the imprisonment binge reduced crime – I'll talk about this in class?

Common sense says -- it must have!!

But: low clearance rate, aging out, andreplacement suggest --

not likely!

Chapter 10

“Lying with stats” - selecting time periods to “prove” a

point.

** Figure 10-2 224 impr incr, crime decr!

** Figure 10-1 224 more honest view

Table 10-2 Table 10-3 Table 10-4

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As IRs go up, CRs go down!!

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A more honest view

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Chapter 10

What are the other factors that influence crime rates

- especially demographic and economic factors?

Table 10-5 237

Aging population % at prime crime age

1990s economic boom

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Chapter 10

What is "voodoo criminology"?

Conservative ideology

+ “stories”

+ pseudo-science (selective information)

Note: competing liberal version no better

Chapter 10

What is America's "farm system for criminals"?

Basic idea is that crime is cultural -- learned (Authors avoid use of term “class”)

Poor as “abandoned class”

Contrast with Euro countries - “welfare states” (EU dismantling some aspects)

Chapter 10

Where is the binge headed going into the new century

- more "costly, inhumane, and racist"?

Short run -- Yes!Long run -- the “budget wall”

“Our vindictive society”Individualism, competition, and “losers”

Chapter 10

What do the authors mean by "cutting our losses"

(p. 244-245)?

Reallocate resources

From: incr imprisonment and decreasing social services

To: decr imprisonment and increasing social services

Chapter 10

What two broad solutions do they advocate for prisons?

1. Reduce prison terms (length of sentences)

2. Humanize prisons (for when they get out)

“Minimum list” p.248

Health, safety, rehab -- stop the damage!