[Vision2020] Idaho prison population percentages (was: Close to 27 Dead)

[Darrell Keim]

I hate when I miss a decimal.  Not too mention poor methodology!  Double
darn.  As long as we're being slightly pedantic, I'll point out it was 7
exclamation points, not apostrophes.

Poor math skills aside, my overall point stands.

It would be enlightening to compare Idaho's rate of prison growth to
overall pop. growth.  Alas, not tonight.  I fear my math skills may not be
up to the challenge ;)

On Fri, Dec 14, 2012 at 6:47 PM, Kenneth Marcy <kmmos1 at frontier.com> wrote:

> On 12/14/2012 5:43 PM, Darrell Keim wrote:
>
>>  <[snip]>
>> Did you know the Idaho state prison population is 6400?  In 1974 it was
>> 614.  I don't claim that mental health issues account for this 96%(!!!!!!!)
>> increase.  But, I'd bet my eye teeth that it DOES represent a good chunk of
>> it.
>>
> <[snip]>
>
> Seven apostrophes incarcerated within parentheses following an incorrect
> percentage ... it might have been an exciting time.
>
> 614 divided by 6,400 yields the digits 0.0959, from which, in a state of
> excitement, one might get 96%. That's just a guess.
>
> The percent increase from 614 to 6,400 is calculated by first subtracting
> 614 from 6,400, giving 5,786 as the numerical increase from the base of
> 614. To calculate the percent increase from 614, divide 5,786 by 614 to
> yield the digits 9.423, which represents over a 942 percent increase from
> the base.  One could also say that there are 9.423 times as many inmates
> incarcerated in 2012 as in 1974.
>
> As a comparative reference point, using the U.S. Bureau of Labor
> Statistics Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator, one can find that 614
> in 1974 dollars is worth 2,867 in 2012 dollars.  That represents a 367
> percent increase over the 1974 base.  One may go one division further to
> discover that the rate of Idaho prison population increase was 2.57 times
> the rate of consumer price inflation increase in the years 1974 to 2012.
>
> I do not have ready at hand more detailed data about annual prison
> population increases and when Idaho made the transition from state control
> of the prison system to private corporate operation of the prisons, but
> statistics about the rate of prison population increase after privatization
> compared to before privatization might be interesting.
>
>
> Ken
>
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