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Growth and costs of federal prisons lamented in House hearing

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this Courthouse News Service report, which is headlined "Prisons Swollen by Foreigners, Druggies," the size and nature of the national (and federal) prison population was a topic of discussion during a House hearing yesterday.  Here are some of the particulars: The U.S. has more prisoners per capita than any other nation while the federal prison population ? half of it made up of drug offenders ? is swollen by growing numbers of women and foreign inmates.  They are stretching the seams of institutions that are nearly 40 percent over capacity, said prison director Harley Lappin.  At a Thursday hearing, Committee Chairman Alan Mollohan asked, "Where in the world are you going to put these people?" The federal government holds 210,000 people in prison...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 19, 2010 (boomark / email).