Hacker News Reader

Comment by darawk | Hacker News Reader

This is a common myth. The percentage of people locked up in the US for drug offenses in general is only 20%. The share of those there specifically for possession is much lower still:

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2022.html

Police do make a lot of drug possession arrests, but the actual prison population who are there for possession is nowhere near 33%.

View on HN

I guess it's a question of personal interpretation - but to me those two numbers aren't different enough to quibble over. Also, given that this is about bail, not convictions, it's at least arguable (right?) that the proportional arrest numbers are more relevant than the proportional incarceration numbers.

In any case: it's clearly a minority, yet a sizable one.

> I guess it's a question of personal interpretation - but to me those two numbers aren't different enough to quibble over.

Which two numbers? The only number I quoted is 20%, and that's for all drug inmates, not just possession. We don't have the numbers for possession, but they're surely much, much lower.

I meant the numbers you quoted. The site you link to does have some numbers on pretrial detention, and by the looks of it drug-related offenses there too are a minority of those jailed, but a sizable one. They're careful to list various caveats, so let's not overinterpret the numbers; there may be overlap or overcounting; and if you're trying to discern possession vs. other drug related offenses surely that's yet another wrinkle which a cursory skim doesn't answer anyhow.

You do realize that saying it is " 20%" do not make it better?

20% is not for possession. 20% is all drug-related charges. Many if not most of those are going to be intent to sell.

From the graphic it says 1/3rd of those are unconvicted.

20% includes shooting someone and then getting caught with 10kg of heroin. Nobody gets prison for 0.1g.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com