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Article: Prison population leveling off: ; Decreased popularity of crack cocaine, new policing strategies cited as causes for decline
- Article from:
- Charleston Daily Mail
- Article date:
- October 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON - After two decades of massive growth, the U.S. prison
population began to level off in the first six years of this
century, according to 2006 census statistics released recently.
At nearly 2.1 million, the number of adults in correctional
institutions remains at an all-time high. Still, that figure
represents a 4 percent rise since 2000 - nowhere near the 77 percent
spike in the prison population from 1990 to 2000.
The data, from the yearly American Community Survey, represent
the Census Bureau's first in-depth look at people in prisons since
the 1980 Census. Although the numbers vary, the census findings
generally track with trends in twice-yearly statistics compiled by