When the 2000 United States census was tabulated, because of federal regulations, all prisoners were
counted as residents of the counties in which they were incarcerated rather than the counties where they'd previously lived. By the year 2000, America's prison population was well on its way to the
2 million mark, which it hit on June 30, 2002. Because of how population is used in determining legislative representation at both the state and federal level, this method of counting has certainly made a difference in the amount of government power wielded by the rural areas where many prisons are located and the urban areas where many of the prisoners come from.
The Prison Policy Initiative has an online tool that makes it easy to break down what percentage of a county consists of prison population, and some searches through the tool yield some interesting information. One thing I wanted to look for was the political inclinations of the counties which have a high percentage of prisoners as part of its overall population. I did a search of all United States counties which had a prison population over 10% of its total population. Of the 91 counties in that profile, 20 were from Texas, 10 were from Georgia, and 9 were from Florida. 75 of the counties voted for Bush in 2004, while only 16 voted for John Kerry. Overall, the voting from all the counties was 61%-39% in favor of George W. Bush.
But while it's easy to see this as another red state - blue state divide, it really isn't. 14 of the 16 Democratic-leaning counties which received a benefit from their large prison population were in red states. It's actually more likely that this phenomenon has skewed state representation in blue states with large urban areas than anywhere else. One of the most striking population disparities seen from this data are the number of counties in the United States which have a majority of African-American residents who are prisoners. The following list shows which states have the most counties where over 60% of the African-American residents are prisoners.
Illinois - 19
Michigan - 16
Texas - 16
Colorado - 9
New York - 9
Pennsylvania - 8
Wisconsin - 7
The number of African-Americans in prison today is alarming, and the inequities in how drug laws are enforced - leading to this alarming rate - is well known. It's no mystery that African-American voters overwhelmingly vote Democratic, but the Democrats are mostly silent on this issue, afraid of looking soft on crime. In Illinois, a state that voted overall for John Kerry 55% - 44%, the 19 counties where over 60% of the black residents were criminals voted for Bush 59% - 41%. The Democratic Party's fear of looking soft on crime has slowly given the GOP more power. Despite this constant wimp complex, the Democrats will likely be riding a wave of Republican frustration back into power this year. Maybe they can start addressing some of the institutional problems that have not only made America the most prolific incarcerator in the world, but also stacked the deck against them in voter representation for years.
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In the news this week...
Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL) criticized the U.S. approach to handling the opium trade in Afghanistan and encouraged Donald Rumsfeld to focus more on kingpins and processing labs than on farmers.
Hasdai Westbrook writes in The Nation about the Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006, and the political posturing behind it.
Mark Greer at DrugSense lists 10 steps to end the drug war.
Daniel Gross writes in Slate about how drug dealers are starting to deal in Euros rather than Dollars.
Pete Guither writes about his 30th year college reunion and how things have changed concerning drug use since the 70s.
Eric Sterling talks about corruption and the reality that law enforcement officials enter when they cross that line. Eric also joins the crew at the Speakeasy.
Philip Smith wonders whether third-party candidacies that pull votes away from Democratic candidates could potentially hurt the overall drug reform movement. I believe they can, and I also believe that younger Democrats tend to be considerably better on drug policy than older Democrats. A set of fresh new faces in the House and Senate will likely mean progress on drug law reform. For me, as much as drug policy matters to me, and how frustrated I get by how much it's ignored by the Democratic Party, larger issues matter this year that absolutely require that Democrats take back Congress. Any third-party candidate who hurts that effort really isn't in tune with what's going on in this country right now, even if they're exactly right about drug policy.
A Zogby poll found that a stunning 45 percent of Americans believe cigarettes should be illegal in 5-10 years. Despite the conventional wisdom, the typical person who believes this is not old and liberal, but young and conservative.
The Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association is meeting in Washington DC as serious questions are being raised about the accuracy of alcohol screening.
7-11 stores will not be selling the new energy drink called "Cocaine".
Nine people were arrested and three others are wanted after a large drug bust in Vancouver, WA.
The Drug Policy Alliance claimed a victory in Oregon by getting the state supreme court to reform their asset forfeiture laws.
Fred Gardner interviews California physician Jeffrey Hergenrather about what doctors have learned in the ten years since the state legalized medical marijuana.
Stanislaus County, California still does not provide ID cards for medical marijuana users, as they wait for the questions regarding Federal law to be settled in the courts.
A Modesto, CA woman is charged with murder after her 30-year-old daughter overdosed on heroin that allegedly came from her.
Santa Cruz, California will be voting on an ordinance this year to make marijuana use by adults the lowest priority of law enforcement.
A committee on the Los Angeles City Council is calling for a one-year moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries.
Rapper Snoop Dogg was arrested on drug and gun charges at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.
Scott Burns from the Office of National Drug Control Policy travelled from Washington D.C. to Dayton, Nevada to explain how unscrupulous people from Washington, D.C. are trying to trick Nevadans into voting a certain way on Question 7, which will allow for adult marijuana possession and establish state regulation of sales.
The effort to pass Question 7 in Nevada is being led by the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, whose Campaign Manager is Neal Levine. Levine responded to some misinformation this week about whether or not the initiative would allow for pot use in public (it doesn't) and decrease penalties for driving under the influence (it actually increases the penalties).
Two Nevada teenagers found dead on a beach in June died from overdoses of methadone.
A special-education teacher in Fernley, NV is set to be arrested and charged with drug trafficking.
Forest Service cops in central Arizona shot at some men guarding a marijuana grow operation in the Tonto National Forest.
Classified documents from the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory were found during a raid on a scientist's house as part of a meth investigation
Prohibition cheerleader and renowned loony-toon Andrea Barthwell is traveling through Colorado making an ass of herself. Mason Tvert writes another impressive editorial in support of Amendment 44.
Two men in Fort Collins, CO were arrested on marijuana charges, but are also under suspicion for being linked to four recent heroin overdoses.
The Drug Czar awarded the Montana Meth Project a certificate of recognition, even though the number of Montana teens who believe that meth poses "no risk" has risen five percent during the ad blitz.
Two San Antonio men accuse two police officers of forcing them to eat their entire stash of marijuana. Also in San Antonio, an 84-year-old woman was released after being arrested along with a dozen other people in a drug bust.
A SWAT team in Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston) caused $5000 worth of damage and killed a family dog during a raid in which they found two joints.
The Drug Czar's message that science is on their side in the medical marijuana debate doesn't even pass the laugh test in South Dakota. A South Dakota medical marijuana user, a Gulf War vet with severe nerve damage, speaks out for the initiative that would legalize the medicine in that state.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic discovered that synthetic THC relaxed the colon and reduced stomach cramping in a recent study.
Researchers at Iowa State University discovered that putting calcium nitrate into anhydrous ammonia makes the latter useless for making meth.
The Drug War Chronicle comments on Sam Smith's recounting of the Arkansas underground drug scene, involving both Republican Asa Hutchinson and eventual President Bill Clinton.
In Pascagoula, Mississippi, two people were arrested for turning their FEMA trailer into a meth lab.
Officers in Greenwood, IN made a $300,000 meth bust in the parking lot of a McDonald's.
A 19-year old in Huntington, West Virginia needed the Heimlich maneuver from a police officer after trying to swallow a bag of pot.
The Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune shines a flashlight on the ugly forfeiture tactics of Bradenton's police force.
Four federal drug suspects in Florida are also suspected of involvement in the murder of a family along the Florida Turnpike.
A home in Clayton County, GA was allegedly used as a distribution point for a Mexican meth operation.
Red Ribbon Week, a national anti-drug campaign, led one Middle School in Virginia to encourage students to wear camouflage to school. The camouflage reminded Pete Guither of someone else whose death we shouldn't forget. In Texas, Red Ribbon Week involved some law enforcement officials showing off their helicopter to elementary school students.
The Students for Sensible Drug Policy is hosting the "Just Say Know" conference in Washington DC over the weekend of November 17-19.
Authorities in Chester County, PA concluded a 14-month investigation into a meth distribution ring.
Governor Jon Corzine of New Jersey continues to be a supporter of the Drug Policy Alliance, along with Walter Cronkite.
A drug sweep in Yonkers, NY yielded 37 arrests.
The mayor of Ottawa believes that as much as 60% of local high school students are smoking pot.
The conviction of an Alberta medical marijuana activist was thrown out by the Canadian Supreme Court.
Scott Morgan talks about the viciousness of the drug war in Mexico right now and reinforces the fact that the anti-immigration loonies in the United States don't know what the fuck they're talking about. The New York Times is reporting on this as well. Daniel Bear from the SSDP comments further.
A 35-year-old Dublin man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manufacturing and selling heroin.
A new advertisement by the British drug helpline Frank shows a futuristic store where pot smokers can get replacement brains because of their pot use, even though it's just as likely that in the future, people with Alzheimer's will be buying replacement brain parts from those who smoked pot.
Cocaine use is on the rise in Spain.
A Spanish medical marijuana dispensary has made itself publicly available on the internet.
A Belgian Parliament member became the first publicly-elected official to join a Cannabis Social Club, a group of people who collaborate to grow cannabis for each other and avoid relying on the black market.
Peter Cohen writes about the UN Office of Drug Control's (UNODC) unwarranted praise for Sweden's drug control policy.
Israel's Justice Ministry supports more leniency in dealing with cannabis users.
Rob Wood talks about drug control efforts in Iran, where a large portion the Afghani-produced heroin travels through on its way to Europe.
Coalition forces in Afghanistan are now targeting marijuana farming in the northern part of the country, where it's been culturally acceptable for ages. NATO troops in southern Afghanistan seized 10 tons of marijuana from a truck in the city of Qalat.
Brian MacDonald, a Canadian military analyst, is the latest person to dismiss the Senlis Council's opium licensing plan in Afghanistan because the drug lords won't like it. Canada is now screening soldiers for illegal drug use before sending them to Afghanistan. A preliminary screening resulted in 30% testing positive.
TalkLeft is amazed at how it's better to be an Islamic Terrorist than an accidental drug mule when facing Indonesia's criminal justice system.
Dumaguete City in the Philippines is planning to ban public images of illegal drugs.
The Australian Government is planning to step up its fight against crystal meth, or "ice", as it's called there.
Two Sydney police officers are accused of faking a drug sting and selling the drugs for profit.
A nurse from northern New Zealand admitted to stealing a large amount of Fentanyl from the hospital he worked at.