CHRIS N. NELSON
The State of Alaska presently has approximately 1 out of every 100 residents behind bars! This is outrageous! Wake up Alaskans, you are going to be next if you don't demand the government answer for all of the people who are imprisoned.
There are roughly 5,000 prisoners in the adult prison system for the State of Alaska, and while I don't have the exact number of youths locked up in the States juvenile system I am fairly certain there are more than 1,000. That makes for more than 6,000 residents who are locked up. The State has roughly 600,000 residents total. And that, my friend, is equal to one out of one hundred Alaskans who are locked up!
How did the State of Alaska reach this outrageous level of imprisonment? Well, in 1980 a set of laws took effect, which made it so much easier for the State to prosecute and convict people of criminal charges that successful prosecution rates topped those of the Soviet Union under communist rule. At the same time, in 1980, sentencing laws were changed to require longer prison terms for just about every offense imaginable. As if this were not enough, the laws governing who is eligible to be considered for early release on discretionary parole were changed so as to make all but a very small percentage of prisoners ineligible. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the State tripled the budgets for police, prosecutors, judges, and court personnel in 1980 as well? This was all sold to the public as part of the State being “tough on crime” and necessary for the public safety.
The “tough on crime” theory of 1980 was something like this. First, it was thought that only a small number of criminals commit the vast majority of crimes. Second, it was thought that if the State were to incapacitate these repeat offenders, and they’re the ones committing the majority of the crimes, then surely crime will decrease and the public will be all the safer.
In 1980, the States prisoner population (for adults) totaled 750 people and the operating budget was about $20.5 million. Here we are twenty years later, roughly 5,000 people in prison, an annual operating budget of about $200 million, and with a crime rate that shows no decrease that correlates the jump in prisoner populations. In fact, all of that “tough on crime” theory of the 1970’s and 1980’s doesn't get mentioned much these days. Still, despite having a factually failed experiment, the State has no new crime policy and continues to dump people and money into the failed theory. As far as Alaskan legislators are concerned, there is no problem, and it is business as usual – lock ‘em up and throw away the key, and the public will be all the safer for it!
If you're interested in doing something about the 1 in 100 Alaskans being locked up problem, I would encourage you to take the following actions.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of this matter.