Criminal Justice in
Most of us may know less
about our criminal justice than we know about our education, health,
transportation and other services. Our Criminal Justice
Data Book informs us that while our population increased 29% from 1990
to 2005, our reported index crimes (murder, forcible rape, aggravated
assault, arson, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft) increased 10%. While the number of most crimes decreased,
motor vehicle theft more than doubled.
The highest rates for
arrests, conviction and incarceration were for crimes against property,
followed by drug crimes. From 1990 to
1004, arrests for thefts decreased from 30,049 to 22,144 and arrests for drug
crimes increased from 13,049 to 21,808.
Felony sentences for property crimes decreased. Felony sentences for drug crimes increased
from by 51% from 3,878 to 5,885.
Average prison sentences
are murder (281 months), manslaughter (63), sex crimes (89), robbery (62),
assault (39), burglary (35) , other property crimes
(22) and drug crimes (23).
Our Department of
Corrections has 15,574 prisoners under total confinement and 669 under work
release plus 1966 others in rented beds.
The total confinement population is 105% of our operational
capacity. 54% of prisoners are new
admissions, 38.8 percent readmissions.
91.4% are men. Their average age
is 36.7 years with 71.7% between 25 and 50 years of age. Prisoners are 62.3% White, 19.8% black 10.3%
Hispanic, 4.1% Indian and 3.2% Asian. Source.
Their offenses are murder
1661, manslaughter 161, vehicle homicide 111, assault 3170, sex crimes 2743,
drug crimes 2645, robbery 1520, burglary 1194, theft 832, forgery 308, welfare
fraud 2, other property 631, other felony 233. Source.
Note that these statistics
do not include people incarcerated in county and municipal jails. Nationally, 1.5 million people are in state
or federal prison for serious offenses and 750,000 others are in jail for minor
crimes. One of every 31 adults is in
jail, on parole, or on probation. In
2005, 700,000 prisoners were released from state or federal custody. If
According to our Historical Oversight Expenditure
Reports, from 1995-97 to 2007-2009, the amount budgeted (Operating Budget) for
our Department of Corrections has increased 124% from $871,058,000 to $1,947,362,000
a larger percentage increase than that for our total state budget (84%), social
and health services (97%), education (77%) , transportation (74%), and natural
resources (87%). Of our total state
budget of $59,522,284,000, our Department of Corrections budget is 3.2%,
compared to social and health services (41%), education (42%), transportation
(3.8%) and natural resources (2.6%).
For more
information about Washington State criminal justice. For research concerning important criminal justice issues. Criminal justice reform advocacy organizations include The Defender Association, Drug Policy Alliance,
Justice
Works, King
County Bar Association Drug Policy Project, NAACP Legal Defense &
Education Fund, The November Coalition,
Reform Network, Sensible Seattle Coalition. Compared to health, education, children and
other issues, advocacy groups for reforming our criminal justice system are
fewer and weaker, perhaps because fewer people are directly affected and the issues
are less popular with our mainstream public.