Locations of US prisons. Wow look at Florida. From the WP Jan. 6

[madfloridian]

Florida's numbers on the graph are astounding.

The U.S. has more jails than colleges. Here’s a map of where those prisoners live.


From WP: SOURCE: 2010 U.S. Census. Published Jan. 6, 2014

As you can see in the map, states differ in the extent to which they spread their correctional populations out geographically. Florida, Arizona and California stand out as states with sizeable corrections populations in just about every county. States in the midwest, on the other hand, tend to have concentrated populations in just a handful of counties. Prisons tend to leave an unmistakeable mark on the landscape, as artist Josh Begley has documented.

Because of the mix of state, federal and local correctional facilities in each county, it doesn't make sense to express these numbers as a rate -- X prisoners per Y number of adults. The presence of a federal or state facility in a given county will greatly inflate that county's prisoner count relative to the general population. And in many instances, large correctional facilities are located in sparsely populated regions, like Northern New York. In some of these counties, prisons account for 10, 20 or 30 percent of the total population.

In recent years criminal justice reform has risen to prominence in the national conversation, with both Democrats and Republicans looking for ways to dial back the incarceration-focused policies of the '80s and '90s. This map shows one reason why the issue is gaining traction: prisoners are literally every where you look in the U.S. Nearly 85 percent of U.S. counties are home to some number of incarcerated individuals. Localities spend tens of thousands of dollars per prisoner each year -- and often much more than that -- to house, feed and provide them with medical care. Most counties would doubtless prefer to spend this money elsewhere.

I don't see a mention of the fact that so many are now privatized. If you build it you must fill it, right?

[Control-Z]

1. Wow. Look at California.

As an (almost) lifetime resident, I feel shame. That 3 strikes law, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the numbers. Not to mention, privitzation, though I don't know the stats here. But no one should be locked up for profit.