KELO reports that the state officials are studying why South Dakota's incarceration rate is so much higher than the rate in neighboring states. How much higher?
State | Incarceration Rate | State | Incarceration Rate |
Alabama | 648 | Montana | 378 |
Alaska | 340 | Nebraska | 247 |
Arizona | 572 | Nevada | 472 |
Arkansas | 552 | New Hampshire | 209 |
California | 439 | New Jersey | 286 |
Colorado | 445 | New Mexico | 323 |
Connecticut | 376 | New York | 288 |
Delaware | 443 | North Carolina | 373 |
Florida | 556 | North Dakota | 226 |
Georgia | 479 | Ohio | 448 |
Hawaii | 302 | Oklahoma | 654 |
Idaho | 474 | Oregon | 361 |
Illinois | 373 | Pennsylvania | 403 |
Indiana | 434 | Rhode Island | 197 |
Iowa | 309 | South Carolina | 495 |
Kansas | 317 | South Dakota | 416 |
Kentucky | 458 | Tennessee | 432 |
Louisiana | 867 | Texas | 648 |
Maine | 148 | Utah | 238 |
Maryland | 387 | Vermont | 265 |
Massachusetts | 200 | Virginia | 468 |
Michigan | 445 | Washington | 269 |
Minnesota | 185 | West Virginia | 363 |
Mississippi | 686 | Wisconsin | 366 |
Missouri | 508 | Wyoming | 385 |
United States | 497 |
Glancing at the map, one might be reminded of the map I put up last week finding the Bible Belt the intensely religious region of the nation, with South Dakota following closely and outpacing its neighbors. But I won't posit a correlation between prison-filling and pew-filling yet: notice that gold-tablet-fearing Utah has the seventh-lowest incarceration rate in the nation.
Other prison stats worth noting, from the most recent federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report on the nation's prison population:
- Annual growth rate of South Dakota's prison population from 2000 to 2008: 3.1%.
- Neighboring states with higher rates: Minnesota (6.0%) and North Dakota (3.8%)
- Annual growth rate of U.S. prison population, same period: 1.8%.
- Annual growth rate of S.D. general population, 2000-2010: 0.76%.
- Annual growth rate of Minn. general population, 2000-2010: 0.75%.
- Annual growth rate of U.S. general population, 2000-2010: 0.93%.
South Dakota still imprisons people at a lower rate than the national average. We are 23rd in the nation for incarceration rate... but we have one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. Minnesota has a notably higher crime rate but has the second lowest incarceration rate. North Dakota has a crime rate similar to South Dakota's but the sixth lowest incarceration rate.
South Dakota is thus somewhat of a regional anomaly. I will be eager to hear the state's findings on why South Dakota fills jails faster than its nice prairie neighbors.
The correlation that is relevant is the jump in crimes rates after the Bible and prayer were removed from public education.
More likely after using the Bible as an excuse to diddle children in god's name.
JR LaPlante on Bill Janklow's idea of public radio: "American Indians are the most regulated people in the US." He cited at least four separate but overlapping jurisdictions.
I'm 53 years old and if the Bible was removed from the public education curriculum it was done before I ever got to the public schools.
Get off it, Steve. You could argue the rise in crime correlates with the space program. People committed all sorts of crime during the Dark Ages, the Reformation....
Teaching tribes christianity led to concentration camps: Boston.com.
Cory, it is not just the crime rates that have jumped since the 1950's. Out of wedlock births, divorce, etc.
The reddest, most religious states incarcerate more people, Steve.
Prison industry gets grant from State to profile more non-white people:
RCJ.