|
|
| Philadelphia Inmate Populace Outpacing Rest of U.S. |
| By Philadelphia Daily News |
| Published: 12/10/2001 |
|
The population of Philadelphia's prisons continues to grow at a much faster pace than the populations of local jails nationally. Since the federal courts relinquished control of the city's jail system a little more than a year ago, the number of inmates has increased by about 15 percent to more than 7,600. From 1999 through 2000, the latest years for which statistics are available, inmates in county jails around the country grew from 605,943 to 621,149, an increase of only 2.5 percent. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of inmates in all jails - federal, state and local - rose by only 40,000, to 1,933,000, between 1999 and 2000, an increase of 2.1 percent. During the last six months of 2000, the population of all state prisons experienced a microscopic drop of 6,200, to 1.17 million. One knowledgeable source said that U.S. District Judge Norma Shapiro's release of the prison system to local control contributed to the population increase. Where Shapiro once capped the population at 3,750, there no longer is a cap and the population has risen to double that, although the city has built new jails and expanded others to accommodate more prisoners. When Shapiro was in charge, the source said, some people who are jailed because they cannot make bail were automatically released under guidelines approved by the federal court. Those guidelines prohibited sending anyone to prison who had not been accused of possessing a specific minimum amount of drugs, or who had not been accused of a violent crime. Those defendants were released after signing guarantees that they would show for trial. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think