The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 11, 2002, Image 9

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Thursday, April 11, 2002
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The
number of people in prison grew
last year at the slowest rate in
three decades, the Justice
Department reported Wednesday.
The total population in all
prisons and jails rose a bit
more than 1 percent, nearing 2
million, according to the annu
al report. As of June 30, 2001,
one of every 145 U.S. resi
dents was behind bars.
Tougher anti-crime policies,
more facilities and longer sen-
Prison population
growth slows
Last year the growth rate of the
prison population was the
slowest since 1972. Federal
prisons saw a greater increase
even though most inmates are
held at the state level.
Change In prison population
Percent change from previous year
16%
1972 1990 2000-
2001
NOTE: 1972 to 1990 are calendar years:
beginning in 1991, years are from July 1
to June 30.
SOURCE: Bureau of Justice Statistics AP
tences have caused the decades-
long increase in the prison pop
ulation. Most of the growth
between 2000 and 2001 came in
federal facilities. “It appeaps
the state prison population has
reached some stability,” said
Allen Beck, a statistician with
the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Crime rates are down and parole
violations have stabilized, while
state legislatures in recent years
have not enacted the kind of
sweeping sentencing reforms
that passed in the early 1990s.
Beck said the federal sys
tem could continue to grow at
its current pace as U.S. district
court caseloads swell. Much
of that caseload is taken up by
drug, immigration and
weapons prosecutions.
The trend “depends on fed
eral law enforcement and pros
ecutorial discretion ” he said.
Overall, there were
1,965,495 people in custody in
federal and state prisons and
local jails in June 2001, up 1.6
percent from the previous year.
The population in U.S. and
state prisons combined rose 1.1
percent, the slowest annual
growth since 1972.
The bulk of the prison pop
ulation is at the state level,
which rose 0.4 percent. The
number of federal prisoners
rose 7.2 percent.
Prisons usually hold convict
ed criminals sentenced to terms
longer than one year. Jails gener
ally keep inmates awaiting trial
or serving shorter sentences.
Long-standing racial and eth
nic disparities remained, partic
ularly among younger black
men. For instance, 13.4 percent
of black males age 25 to 29 were
in prison or jail, compared with
4.1 percent of Hispanic men and
1.8 percent of white males.
Marc Mauer, assistant direc
tor of The Sentencing Project,
an advocacy group, gave a
mixed review to the Justice
report. The group pushes for
alternatives to incarceration.
“Increasingly, policy-mak
ers recognize that prisons are
expensive,” Mauer said about
the trend on the state level. He
suggested that the current
atmosphere of tightening budg
ets may have legislators
rethinking sentencing policies
to avoid building new prisons.
“Money is less of an obstacle
to Congress,” Mauer added. “The
federal system is where there has
been a great reluctance in
Congress to reconsider mandatory
sentencing laws and drug policy.”
Beck added that some of the
increase in the federal prison
population came as the U.S.
government continued to
assume responsibility for
District of Columbia prisons.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Retirement plans may get
protection after Enron
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to strengthen protec
tions for workers’ retirement plans is heading for debate
on the House floor in the aftermath of the Enron collapse.
The bill, which largely contains President Bush’s
pension overhaul plan, follows a flurry of hearing and
/roposals on pensions, accounting standards and
corporate disclosure after the December collapse of
ttie energy company.
A final plan was being crafted Wednesday after an
agreement was reached between Ways and Means
Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., and Workforce
Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio, on investment
advice provisions and other differences in the bills
that cleared their committees. Boehner’s bill will
serve as the framework of the plan.
But House Democrats, who had not seen the final
version, complained that neither bill “would prevent
big corporations from taking advantage of their
employees as Enron did,” said Democratic Leader
Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Rep. Martin Frost, D-
Texas, in a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-lll.
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PRE-INVENTORY SALE
• 30-60% off all Aggie merchandise
• Selected tees $ 5. 00
• 50% off all backpacks, briefcases, duffles,
and all other bags
• 10% off all calculators and software
bookstores
• Northgate • Culpepper Plaza • Village Center
Aggie Unlimited
Rost Oak Mall
1.800-699-1 142
Sale now thru April I 2
Calls loo and
The Department of English
of Texas A&M University Present:
Yuse£ Komunyakaa
Pulitzer Prize
Veteran of the Vietnam War
Two Prize-
Winning Writers
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith
Primo Casa de las Americas
Veteran of the Korean War
The Stark Galleries / Memorial Student Union
Thursday / April 11 / 7:30 pm
Reception to follow
For more information contact
Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters
979-458-3108 orcallaloo@tamu.edu
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April II
No Purchase Necessary
Z 1
Your Degree is
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Advantage Volkswagen in Houston is extending a program
to graduates who plan to purchase a new or pre-owned
car. Under our special plan, you could qualify for very low
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To learn how you can apply prior to graduation,
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Sale does not include diploma frames and sale prices cannot be combined with any other offer.