DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - The Truth About Crime Figures NY and London

**Mypepraipse** · 09-25-2007, 01:03 PM

I think your trying to compare the two societies based on crime statistics but it is a bit difficult. A good portion of the population here wants results from the crimes done (which involve for the most part prison). Prisons are very full in this state. Also crime can be reclassified for a number of reasons. Here are two that I feel and know that are true.

The first being judicial efficiency. Cases cost money and the fact that there are thousands of cases in the system make it very taxing (time and more importantly tax payer money). The court system here wants to be more efficient and the reality is you cannot take people to court for every petty offense so some offenses are reclassified. Even with this the court system in this state is still backed up case wise.

Secondly prisons are crowded. For misdemeanors and the such Rikers Island is used to hold these prisoners. For the most part though this is such a relatively small facility compared to the crimes that happen that some offenders are given probation of 6 months to a year were the record of their misdemeanor will be stricken from the record.

In terms of judicial efficeiency, most British Crime Figures recorded, do not involve a court appearance, they are just recorded crime figures.

Furthermore I have been as critical of the way Britain records trivial offences as crimes (which usually don't involve anything other than a police warning or fine in the post) as I have been of the NYPD for it's under reporting.

Midemeenors don't usually involve prison (it's usually Felonies), as for Rikers Island, I wouldn't say a facility that holds up to 20,000 prisoners is small. The US Prison system is predicted to reach 2,500,000 within the next decade, and currently stands at over 2,100,000. Britain has a fifth of the US population (60m compared 300m) and in order to imprison the same percentage of population would have to jail 500,000 people rather than the 80,000 in England and Wales, 7,000 in Scotland and 1,500 in NI that we currently jail.

09-25-2007, 01:03 PM	#24
Mypepraipse Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 498 Senior Member	I think your trying to compare the two societies based on crime statistics but it is a bit difficult. A good portion of the population here wants results from the crimes done (which involve for the most part prison). Prisons are very full in this state. Also crime can be reclassified for a number of reasons. Here are two that I feel and know that are true. The first being judicial efficiency. Cases cost money and the fact that there are thousands of cases in the system make it very taxing (time and more importantly tax payer money). The court system here wants to be more efficient and the reality is you cannot take people to court for every petty offense so some offenses are reclassified. Even with this the court system in this state is still backed up case wise. Secondly prisons are crowded. For misdemeanors and the such Rikers Island is used to hold these prisoners. For the most part though this is such a relatively small facility compared to the crimes that happen that some offenders are given probation of 6 months to a year were the record of their misdemeanor will be stricken from the record. In terms of judicial efficeiency, most British Crime Figures recorded, do not involve a court appearance, they are just recorded crime figures. Furthermore I have been as critical of the way Britain records trivial offences as crimes (which usually don't involve anything other than a police warning or fine in the post) as I have been of the NYPD for it's under reporting. Midemeenors don't usually involve prison (it's usually Felonies), as for Rikers Island, I wouldn't say a facility that holds up to 20,000 prisoners is small. The US Prison system is predicted to reach 2,500,000 within the next decade, and currently stands at over 2,100,000. Britain has a fifth of the US population (60m compared 300m) and in order to imprison the same percentage of population would have to jail 500,000 people rather than the 80,000 in England and Wales, 7,000 in Scotland and 1,500 in NI that we currently jail.
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