Also, sometimes when prisoners are not embittered, made more villent or worse by their pison expeience, they still haplessly return to their life of crime once released. This is because their prison record may make them unemployable. They may be impoverished, missing out on years of opportunity to build a career, family, friends. Let your voice be heard. The public generally believes that crime has gone way up.
Statistics are tricky.
Since its beginning in 1973, the NCVS shows basic stability and even small declines in crime rates. The UCR is a chief reason people believe crime has gone up in recent years. Just building new prisons every year costs a bundle. Debt service to finance construction comes close to tripling that original investment. Holding these men and women doesn't come cheap either.