Myth: Prison isn’t the answer to crime control

Fact: From 1960-1980, per capita imprisonment for violent crimes fell from 738 to 227. In the same period, violent crime rates nationwide tripled.

Fact: Why does crime rise when criminals are released from prison early? Because they are likely to commit more crimes. 67.5% were re-arrested for new felonies or serious misdemeanors within three years. Extrapolating, those released felons killed another 2,282 people.¹

Fact: 45% of state prisoners, at the time they committed their offenses, were under conditional supervision in the community–either on probation or on parole.²Keeping violent convicts in prison would reduce violent crimes.

Fact: Homicide convicts serve a little more than 1⁄2 of their original sentences.³ Given that men tend to be less prone to violent behavior as they age⁴, holding them for their full sentences would probably reduce violence significantly.

Fact: In 1991, 13,200 homicides were committed by felons on parole or probation. For comparison sake, this is about 1⁄2 of the 1999 annual gun death totals (keep in mind that gun deaths fell from 1991 to 1999).

Fact: Los Angeles county saw repeat offender and re-arrest rates soar after authorities closed jails and released prisoners early. In less than three years, early release of prisoners in LA resulted in:⁵

• 15,775 Rearrested convicts

• 1,443 Assault charges⁶

• 518 Robbery charges

• 215 Sex offense charges

• 16 Murder charges

This is an excerpt from “Gun Facts” by Guy Smith, available free from http://www.gunfacts.info