From a Department of Corrections FAQ.
| Adult Prison Population | 19,367 |
| For Homicide Inc. Attempted | 18.3% |
| Sex Offenders | 14.3% |
| Drug Offenders | 14.1% |
| Cost of Incarceration | $19,830/year |
So about $384,047,610 per year for Tennessee prisons, not including court costs, probation, etc.
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Man, your bad people cost less than our Washington bad people. I think ours cost more like $30k each.
Hmmm. I was under the impression that the vast majority of prisoners were drug related. At least, that’s the pitch I hear all the time for drug legalization. But, in TN anyway, they represent one fifth of the total population, running third behind murderers and rapist/sex offenders.
I’ll make sure not to use that argument for legalization. Of course, the fact that it isn’t the government’s business who does what to their own bodies is enough argument all by itself.
Be careful how you interpret the categories. Rich brings up a good point: what does “drug related” mean? Caught with a joint? Selling joints? Smoking a joint and killing somebody? Could some of those murders be “drug related?” “Drug related” could effect all the categories shown above. Drink a beer and make a pass at a feminist. WHAM! Sexual harrasment. Better enter that into the sex offender database.
Rich: I had the same thought when I saw that number. It’s true what anonymous says that some of those other crimes may be somewhat drug-related, and some of them might be prevented by legalizing drugs.
I’m in favor of legal pot, just because it’s relatively benign. Plenty of people smoke weed and hold down jobs and take care of themselves and their kids. For hard drugs, I’m somewhat skeptical. They’re so addictive that I wonder how many people addicted to them will be able to hold down a job or keep care of themselves, much less children. Legalizing the hard stuff might be worth a try, and it might work, but I don’t take it as an article of faith that it will.