10 Criminal Justice Facts You Probably Never Knew

1. WOMEN: There has been a “760% increase in the number of women incarcerated since 1980.” ((The Sentencing Project)2. MENTAL ILLNESS: “Ten times more mentally ill people are in jails and prisons than state psychiatric hospitals.” (Slate, January 5, 2016)3. DEBT: “People with convictions are saddled with…fees, fines, and debt (while) their economic opportunities are diminished, resulting in a lack of economic stability …” (Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, September 2015)4. PLEA BARGAINING: The…majority of felony convictions are now the result of plea bargains—some 94 percent at the state level, and some 97 percent at the federal level. (The Atlantic, September 2017)5. JUVENILES: Despite a significant drop (nearly 50 %) in the number of juveniles committed to juvenile facilities, youth of color are more likely to be committed than white juveniles. (The Sentencing Project)6. STIGMA: “Being locked up scars, stigmatizes and damages.” (The New Republic, June 28, 2017)7. “A history of incarceration is linked to vulnerability to disease…and a greater likelihood of premature death.” (The New Republic, June 28, 2017)8. AFRICAN AMERICANS: “African Americans make up nearly 1 million of 2.3 million persons incarcerated and are incarcerated at six (6) times the rate of whites.” (The New Republic, June 28, 2017)9. OLDER INMATES: “Nationally, the prison population aged 55 and older quadrupled while the overall prison population increased by 41%.” ("Aging in Prison: Reducing Elder Incarceration and Promoting Public Safety"--Release Aging People in Prison Campaign report, November 2015)10. EMPLOYMENT: “Nationwide nearly 60 percent of ex-prisoners are unemployed one year after their release from prison.” (Prison Fellowship)