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Week of 6.1.07
Maximum CapacityThis Week:
About the Show |
Video: Prison Poetry |
By the Numbers: America's Prisons |
Question of the Week |
Transcript
The number of inmates in American prisons is outpacing the system's ability to hold them all. In one startling example, California prisons hold 70,000 more inmates than they're designed for, even though the state has built a dozen new prisons in the last 15 years.One of the biggest reasons is rampant recidivism. "Right now, seven out of every 10 inmates that leave this prison comes back," California Warden Mike Poulos tells NOW. "We need to stop that revolving door." This week NOW goes inside an Illinois prison that may have the answer to California's problems. With its innovative plan to keep released inmates from coming back, the Sheridan Correctional Center is trying to redefine "tough on crime" by being the largest fully dedicated drug prison in the country. The approach involves aggressive counseling, job training...and following the convicts after they get out. Program Resources
» Video» Audio [mp3, 48kbps]: Stream, Download, Podcast » Transcript » Feedback Related Links Bureau of Justice Statistics: Recidivism of Prisoners in 1994 Correctional Education Association: Education Reduces Crime (pdf) PA Department of Corrections: Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics Recidivism Study (pdf) Pew Public Safety Performance: Public Safety, Public Spending—Forecasting America's Prison Population 2007-2011 (pdf) Topic Search: Society/Community, Law & Courts |
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