I am reminded of this map as we find out that jail and prison populations have increased by 2.6 percent.



Incarceration rates, top ten states for percent population incarcerated per 100,000 population. Note many of the states with the highest homicide rates are represented here, which might indicate fear of punishment is not a major obstacle to murder. Louisiana and Texas have the highest incarceration rates for the year 2000 at 793 per 100,000 and 779 per 100,000 respectively. Compare that to the national average of 481, and that of the lowest five states: Rhode Island 197, New Hampshire 185, North Dakota 146, Maine 130, and Minnesota at 129 per 100,000. New York, despite its draconian Rockefeller drug laws only has a rate of 393 per 100,000, a good bit less than the national average.

From Mother Jones magazine, Debt to Society: Special report Incarceration rates in 2000, incarceration rate is defined as the number of prisoners sentenced to more than one year per 100,000 residents, as recorded by the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

Red state justice. Pretty sad. Jail and execute a lot of people, and still you fail to reduce homicide or your crime rates.