By the Numbers
Juvenile Crimes
The War on Drugs
People of Color in Prison
Solitary Confinement
100
The US constitutes 5% of the world's population. What percentage of the world's prison population is incarcerated in US prisons?
What is 25%
100
True or false: most incarcerated youth are serving time for non-violent crimes.
What is true
100
The official War on Drugs began in this year.
What is 1971, under President Nixon.
100
As the number of women incarcerated has increased by 800 percent over the last three decades, women of color have been disproportionately represented. African American women are how many times more likely than white women to be incarcerated?
What is 3 times
100
Some facilities use euphemisms for solitary confinement in order to avoid problematic questions. Name a common term that a facility may use instead.
What is protective custody, segregation, or restrictive housing. Terms like isolation and "the shoe" also disguise the nature of solitary confinement.
200
In the past 40 years, the number of incarcerated people has increased by how much? (x amount of times)
What is by 5 times.
200
About how many juveniles are currently in federal, state, or local custody?
What is 92,000.
200
This South-Western state is considered the worst place to get arrested for drugs. Here, 92% of marijuana-related arrests are for possession alone - and if you have over 2 pounds, you could get sentenced up to 2 years in jail. Those who are sentenced for possession of marijuana with intent to sell face a $150,000 fine.
What is Arizona.
200
People who are charged with this are denied the right to vote. As a result, 11 states have more than 10% of their African American population that cannot vote.
What is a felony
200
True or false: In some facilities, prisoners can be kept in solitary confinement for 24 hours a day.
What is true
300
How many people are currently incarcerated in the US?
What is 2.3 million people.
300
What percentage of youth detention facilities are at or over capacity?
What is 25%
300
About what percent of all incarcerated people are serving time for a drug offense?
What is about 20%.
300
African Americans and Hispanics combined constitute what percent of the total incarcerated population in the US?
What is 58%, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately 25% of the US population.
300
About how many people are in solitary confinement in the US every day?
What is about 80,000 people
400
Including those under probation or parole, what percentage of the population is currently under correctional supervision?
What is 3.2%
400
Juveniles can be sentenced for "status offenses" - legal violations that do not apply to adults. Name one of the top five most common status offenses.
What is running away, truancy, "out-of-control" behavior, underage alcohol possession, OR curfew violations.
400
Disparities in mandatory minimum sentencing between these two drugs have been significant factors in creating racial disparities in sentencing.
What is crack and powder cocaine.
400
Based on current trends, what percentage of black males born today can be expected to spend time in prison during their lifetimes?
What is 33% of black males.
400
Solitary confinement can have severe psychological effects. Name one of these.
What is visual and auditory hallucinations, hypersensitivity to noise and touch, insomnia and paranoia, uncontrollable feelings of rage and fear, distortions of time and perception, increased risk of suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
500
What percentage of incarcerated people are serving life sentences?
What is 11%. One-third of these people will never have a change for parole.
500
What percentage of juveniles are sexually assaulted while they are incarcerated?
What is 12%
500
It costs how many times more to imprison a person for a drug offense than to provide community drug treatment?
What is 5x more.
500
African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users. What percentage of those in state prison for a drug offense are African American?
What is 59%
500
For many years, solitary confinement was popularly considered so inhumane that it was largely discontinued in the US. However, it reemerged as a popular feature of the system as a result of the War on Drugs. In about what year did confinement disappear initially, prior to its reappearance in the 1980s?
What is 1890
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