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I think getting killed is a serious risk in every prison in America. Even in the minimum security facilities where people serve sentences for non-violent crimes

I think getting killed is a serious risk in every prison in America. Even in the minimum security facilities where people serve sentences for non-violent crimes.

AlbertCory 5y ago
Do you actually know anyone who's been to prison? What's your source for this? I do know someone (I'm not going to disclose any details to protect his privacy). But I don't think he'd agree with you on that.
- coldtea 5y ago
  Well, it's seems to be on the increase: https://www.statista.com/statistics/220920/number-of-state-prisoner-homicides-in-the-us/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/220920/number-of-state-p... And given that there are ~ 1.8 million people in prison in the US, you have 1 in 15000 chances to be murdered in prison per year. For context, your chances are 1 in 20000 in the general US population [1]. [1] From the reported 5 per 100,000 people murder rate, which includes the 0,5% of the population in prison (though the latter is such a small percentage that doesn't really change the general result).
  - Retric 5y ago
    That’s showing 120 murders across just sate prisons. “ 1,291,000 people were in state prison, 631,000 in local jails, 226,000 in federal prisons, 44,000 in youth correctional facilities, 42,000 in immigration detention camps, 22,000 in involuntary commitment, 11,000 in territorial prisons, 2,500 in Indian Country jails, and 1,300 in United States military prisons.[8]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_ra... So it’s 1 in 10,000 per year aka a 1 in 500 shot of being murdered in a 20 year prison sentence which seems dangerous but still unlikely.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - AlbertCory 5y ago
    Averages like that, including for the US population, are meaningless. Your chances if you live in Englewood (South Side Chicago) are dramatically higher, while if you're in rural Utah, somewhat less. Same for prisons.
    - Supermancho 5y ago
      > Averages like that, including for the US population, are meaningless. Your chances if you live in Englewood (South Side Chicago) are dramatically higher, while if you're in rural Utah, somewhat less. Same for prisons. If you say so. That's not a compelling response. Any data other than "I say it's meaningless"? https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-jails-deaths/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-jail... https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/06/23/jail_mortality/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/06/23/jail_mortality/ etc
      - AlbertCory 5y ago
        I don't know what you'd find compelling, then. You quoted two articles about jails. Jails are different from prisons.
        Supermancho 5y ago
        A prison is a jail. While I would like to say deaths are less likely in say a city or county jail, the data is not differentiating. County "jails" are included in most prison data. One of the links is literally about "jails", so the pedantry is not useful.
        Talanes 5y ago
        >One of the links is literally about "jails", so the pedantry is not useful. Both links are about jails, when the discussion was about prisons. Their pedantry was completely on point. And while prisons and jails are similar enough that you can group data from them to get a view of the entire legally detained population, that doesn't make statements about one entirely transferable to the other. They're different institutions run by different people and housing different (though overlapping) populations.
klyrs 5y ago
In the same way that driving on any street is a serious risk of a fatal crash?
watwut 5y ago
That does not seem to be true based on what people who were in jails/prisons for non-violent offenders say.

I think getting killed is a serious risk in every prison in America. Even in the minimum security facilities where people serve sentences for non-violent crimes.

AlbertCory 5y ago

Do you actually know anyone who's been to prison? What's your source for this? I do know someone (I'm not going to disclose any details to protect his privacy). But I don't think he'd agree with you on that.

coldtea 5y ago
Well, it's seems to be on the increase: https://www.statista.com/statistics/220920/number-of-state-prisoner-homicides-in-the-us/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/220920/number-of-state-p... And given that there are ~ 1.8 million people in prison in the US, you have 1 in 15000 chances to be murdered in prison per year. For context, your chances are 1 in 20000 in the general US population [1]. [1] From the reported 5 per 100,000 people murder rate, which includes the 0,5% of the population in prison (though the latter is such a small percentage that doesn't really change the general result).
- Retric 5y ago
  That’s showing 120 murders across just sate prisons. “ 1,291,000 people were in state prison, 631,000 in local jails, 226,000 in federal prisons, 44,000 in youth correctional facilities, 42,000 in immigration detention camps, 22,000 in involuntary commitment, 11,000 in territorial prisons, 2,500 in Indian Country jails, and 1,300 in United States military prisons.[8]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_ra... So it’s 1 in 10,000 per year aka a 1 in 500 shot of being murdered in a 20 year prison sentence which seems dangerous but still unlikely.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- AlbertCory 5y ago
  Averages like that, including for the US population, are meaningless. Your chances if you live in Englewood (South Side Chicago) are dramatically higher, while if you're in rural Utah, somewhat less. Same for prisons.
  - Supermancho 5y ago
    > Averages like that, including for the US population, are meaningless. Your chances if you live in Englewood (South Side Chicago) are dramatically higher, while if you're in rural Utah, somewhat less. Same for prisons. If you say so. That's not a compelling response. Any data other than "I say it's meaningless"? https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-jails-deaths/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-jail... https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/06/23/jail_mortality/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/06/23/jail_mortality/ etc
    - AlbertCory 5y ago
      I don't know what you'd find compelling, then. You quoted two articles about jails. Jails are different from prisons.
      - Supermancho 5y ago
        A prison is a jail. While I would like to say deaths are less likely in say a city or county jail, the data is not differentiating. County "jails" are included in most prison data. One of the links is literally about "jails", so the pedantry is not useful.
        Talanes 5y ago
        >One of the links is literally about "jails", so the pedantry is not useful. Both links are about jails, when the discussion was about prisons. Their pedantry was completely on point. And while prisons and jails are similar enough that you can group data from them to get a view of the entire legally detained population, that doesn't make statements about one entirely transferable to the other. They're different institutions run by different people and housing different (though overlapping) populations.

klyrs 5y ago

In the same way that driving on any street is a serious risk of a fatal crash?

watwut 5y ago

That does not seem to be true based on what people who were in jails/prisons for non-violent offenders say.