Heather Howard 13 May 2001 C ensus 2000 revealed numerous blacks and Latinos had moved from the city to the country, reversing previous trends. This switch wasn't because of preference, but because they are incarcerated, counted as residents of rural towns that house prisons.
Prisoners skew income statistics lower, enhancing towns' candidacy for poverty-directed funds.
Because voter representation is based on population, and prisons increase populations with nonvoters, prison-town residents gain political clout. States can and do manipulate this technicality to boost census totals. The impact is greater today, because prison populations are six times greater than 30 years ago. Following are links to stories that imply that our national drug policy masterminds appear to have no respect for democracy in America. This list will be updated regularely.