Pubdate: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2001 San Francisco Chronicle
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Author: Greg Krikorian, Los Angeles Times

CLINTON PRESIDENCY BLAMED FOR RECORD LEAP IN PRISON POPULATION

The federal and state prison populations rose more under former
President Bill Clinton than under any other president, according to a
report from a criminal justice institute to be released today.

In fact, the analysis of U.S. Justice Department statistics by the
left-leaning Justice Policy Institute found that more federal inmates
were added to prisons under Clinton than under Presidents George Bush
and Ronald Reagan combined.

"I remember thinking when Bill Clinton got elected that we would have
a chance to turn things around," said Vincent Schiraldi, president of
JPI, a project of the San Francisco-based Center for Juvenile and
Criminal Justice. "But I think we read the tea leaves wrong."

 >From opposing a federal commission's push for equalization of drug
sentences for powder cocaine and crack cocaine to embracing a 1994
crime bill that accelerated the rate of prison construction, the
Democratic president often stole the show from "tough-on-crime"
Republicans, the study said.

In doing so, it said, he left a record that did not square with his
rhetoric on such topics as easing mandatory sentences.

While calling as recently as last fall for a review of the nation's
prison policies, Clinton presided over an administration that, in its
first term, saw an additional 277,000 prisoners incarcerated in
federal and state facilities, according to the study. That number
compared with 243,000 prisoners during Bush's four years in office and
129,000 during Reagan's first four years in office.

During Clinton's eight-year tenure, the total population of federal
and state prisons combined rose by 673,000 inmates -- 235,000 more
than during Reagan's two terms.

Although most of the national increase in incarceration occurred in
state-run prisons, the study found that the number of prisoners under
federal jurisdiction doubled during the Clinton years -- an increase
unmatched by the previous 12 years of Republican control of the White
House.

Nearly 60 percent of those sentenced to federal prison during the
Clinton administration are serving time for drug offenses, the study
said. The total number of people in federal prison on drug charges --
63,448 -- is 62 percent more than the number in 1990.

The dramatic increase in prison populations was attributable to
several factors, Schiraldi said, including the 1994 Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act, which earmarked $30.2 billion over
six years for, among other things, new state prisons. One condition
for receiving the federal funds, he noted, was that states scale back
early paroles and adopt sentencing policies requiring that inmates
serve more time in prison.

How Inmate Population Changed During Clinton YearsSome of the numbers
from the Justice Policy Institute's report on prison trends during
Bill Clinton's presidency:

- -- 673,000 inmates were added to federal and state
prisons.

- -- 63,448 of today's federal inmates are serving time for drug
offenses, up 62 percent from 1990.

- -- More than 20 states, including California, enacted tougher
three-strikes sentencing laws in 1994 and 1995.
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