From the February 2003 Idaho Observer:

Federal prison population up nearly 700 percent since 1980

There was much controversy last year when the 9th Circuit decided to remove the words, “...under God,” from the Pledge of Allegiance. What would happen if the 9th decided to remove, “O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave,” from the Star Spangled Banner? Are we still the land of the free and home of the brave? For that matter, are we still one nation under God? Since our prison population of primarily nonviolent drug offenders continues to grow at a pace that will have us all behind bars by 2056, we should remove “land of the free” from our national anthem. While we're at it “home of the brave” can be stricken as well since we are watching our nation become imprisoned and duck our heads hoping it doesn't happen to us rather than stand up to the injustice.

Federal Bureau of Prisons Weekly Population Report, January 30, 2003

According to the Federal bureau of Prisons “QUICK FACTS” webpage at www.bop.gov/fact0598.html, as of January 30, 2003, 165,427 federal prisoners are held in 102 federal institutions. The number is up nearly 700 percent from 24,000 in 1980.

Rather than write a story, we will just let U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facts speak for themselves.

INMATES BY SECURITY LEVEL (BOP facilities only): Minimum: 21%; Low: 37%; Medium: 24%; High: 10% (8% of inmates have not been assigned a security level).

INMATES BY GENDER: Male:152,300 (93.2%), Female: 11,193 (6.9%)

INMATES BY RACE: White: 91,925 (56.2%); Black: 66,410 (40.6%); Asian: 2,526 (1.6%); Native American: 2,632 (1.6%).

ETHNICITY: Hispanic: 52,228 (32.0%).

CITIZENSHIP: U.S.: 115,473 (70.6%); Mexico: 26,334 (16.1%); Colombia: 3,276 (2.3%); Cuba: 2,634 (1.6%); Dominican Republic: 3,363 (2.1%); Other/Unknown: 11,963 (7.3%).

AVERAGE INMATE AGE: 37.

SENTENCE IMPOSED (calculated for those with sentencing information available): Less than 1 year: 3,262 (2.2%); 1-3 years: 21,704 (14.7%); 3-5 years: 23,680 (16.0%); 5-10 years: 43,006 (29.1%); 10-15 years: 25,558 (17.3%); 15-20 years: 12,377 (8.4%); More than 20 years: 13,243(9.0%); Life: 4,999 (3.4%); Death: 27.

TYPES OF OFFENSES (calculated for those with offense-specific information available): Drug Offenses: 81,146 (55.0%);Weapons, Explosives, Arson: 15,574 (10.6%); Immigration: 15,358 (10.4%); Robbery: 10,112 (6.9%); Property Offenses: 6,938 (4.7%); Extortion, Fraud, Bribery: 6,956 (4.5%); Homicide, Aggravated Assault and Kidnapping Offenses: 5,112 (3.5%); Miscellaneous: 2,711 (1.8%); Sex Offenses     1,557 (1.1%); Banking and Insurance, Counterfeit, Embezzlement: 1,054 (0.8%); Courts or Corrections (e.g., Obstructing Justice): 779 (0.5%); Continuing Criminal Enterprise: 633 (0.4%); National Security: 85 (0.1%).

Drugs: BOP figures show that the percentage of federal inmates doing time for drugs has been rising steadily. In 1970, 16.3 percent were doing time for drugs; the percentage peaked in 1993 at 60.7 percent and is at 55 percent today.

Ironically, the USA Today reported 1/25/03 that a “...report by the Justice Department Inspector General sheds light on how the use and trafficking of drugs have become significant problems in the federal prison system whose inmate population has boomed since the 1980s.”

ALDERSON FPC, WV 892

ALLENWOOD FPC, PA 425

ALLENWOOD LOW FCI, PA 1386

ALLENWOOD MED FCI, PA 1415

ALLENWOOD USP, PA 1087

ASHLAND FCI, KY 1142

ASHLAND-CAMP 286

ATLANTA USP, GA 2347

ATLANTA-CAMP 487

ATWATER USP, CA 1377

ATWATER-CAMP 133

BASTROP FCI, TX 1350

BASTROP-CAMP 161

BEAUMONT LOW FCI, TX 1956

BEAUMONT MED FCI, TX 1750

BEAUMONT USP, TX 1369

BEAUMONT-CAMP 370

BECKLEY FCI, WV 1750

BECKLEY-CAMP 373

BIG SPRING FCI, TX 854

BIG SPRING-CAMP 117

BROOKLYN MDC, NY 2665

BRYAN FPC, TX 741

BRYAN-ICC 114

BUTNER FMC, NC 724

BUTNER LOW FCI, NC 1376

BUTNER MED FCI, NC 833

BUTNER-CAMP 291

CARSWELL FMC, TX 1159

CARSWELL-CAMP 239

CHICAGO MCC, IL 742

COLEMAN LOW FCI, FL 2032

COLEMAN MED FCI, FL 1655

COLEMAN-CAMP 402

COLEMAN USP, FL     1663

CUMBERLAND FCI, MD 1193

CUMBERLAND-CAMP 267

DANBURY FCI, CT 1067

DANBURY-CAMP 240

DEVENS FMC, MA 1097

DEVENS-CAMP 129

DUBLIN FCI, CA 1094

DUBLIN-CAMP 278

DULUTH FPC, MN 623

EDGEFIELD FCI, SC 1227

EDGEFIELD-CAMP 476

EGLIN FPC, FL 784

EL RENO FCI, OK 1333

EL RENO-CAMP 155

ELKTON FCI, OH 1846

ELKTON-FSL 541

ENGLEWOOD FCI, CO 917

ENGLEWOOD-CAMP 119

ESTILL FCI, SC 1184

ESTILL-CAMP 256

FAIRTON FCI, NJ 1355

FAIRTON-CAMP 100

FLORENCE ADMAX USP, CO 402

FLORENCE FCI, CO 1260

FLORENCE FCI-CAMP 454

FLORENCE HIGH USP, CO 938

FORREST CITY FCI, AR 1822

FORREST CITY FCI-CAMP 231

FORT DIX FCI, NJ 3993

FORT DIX-CAMP 455

FORT WORTH FMC, TX 1567

GREENVILLE FCI, IL 1265

GREENVILLE-CAMP 246

GUAYNABO MDC, RQ 1156

HONOLULU FDC, HI 461

HOUSTON FDC, TX 901

JESUP FCI, GA 1066

JESUP-CAMP 145

JESUP-FSL 599

LA TUNA FCI, TX 988

LA TUNA-CAMP 165

LA TUNA-FSL (EL PASO) 391

LEAVENWORTH USP, KS 1797

LEAVENWORTH-CAMP 451

LEE USP, VA 1069

LEE USP-CAMP 127

LEWISBURG USP, PA 1163

LEWISBURG-CAMP 360

LEWISBURG-ICC 173

LEXINGTON FMC, KY 2059

LEXINGTON-CAMP 202

LOMPOC FCI, CA 1523

LOMPOC FCI-ICC 134

LOMPOC USP, CA 1298

LOMPOC USP-CAMP 316

LORETTO FCI, PA 1115

LORETTO-CAMP 146

LOS ANGELES MDC, CA 1104

MANCHESTER FCI, KY 1204

MANCHESTER-CAMP 428

MARIANNA FCI, FL 1268

MARIANNA-CAMP 301

MARION USP, IL 429

MARION-CAMP 353

MCKEAN FCI, PA 1311

MCKEAN-CAMP 306

MEMPHIS FCI, TN 1240

MEMPHIS-CAMP 279

MIAMI FCI, FL 1176

MIAMI FCI-CAMP 300

MIAMI FDC, FL 1444

MILAN FCI, MI 1474

MONTGOMERY FPC, AL 765

MORGANTOWN FCI, WV 1132

NELLIS FPC, NV 629

NEW YORK MCC, NY 901

OAKDALE FCI, LA 1228

OAKDALE FDC, LA 819

OAKDALE FDC-CAMP 86

OKLAHOMA CITY FTC, OK 1375

OTISVILLE FCI, NY 1031

OTISVILLE-CAMP 125

OXFORD FCI, WI 959

OXFORD-CAMP 165

PEKIN FCI, IL 1270

PEKIN-CAMP 251

PENSACOLA FPC, FL 481

PETERSBURG FCI, VA 1154

PETERSBURG-CAMP 307

PETERSBURG MED FCI, VA 1513

PHILADELPHIA FDC, PA 1128

PHOENIX FCI, AZ 1310

PHOENIX-CAMP 223

POLLOCK USP, LA 1415

POLLOCK-CAMP 103

RAY BROOK FCI, NY 1241

ROCHESTER FMC, MN 806

SAFFORD FCI, AZ 818

SAN DIEGO MCC, CA 916

SANDSTONE FCI, MN 912

SCHUYLKILL FCI, PA 1245

SCHUYLKILL-CAMP 299

SEAGOVILLE FCI, TX 1265

SEAGOVILLE-CAMP 117

SEATAC FDC, WA 908

SEYMOUR JOHNSN FPC, NC 548

SHERIDAN FCI, OR 1450

SHERIDAN-CAMP 480

SPRINGFIELD USMCFP, MO 1223

TALLADEGA FCI, AL 1083

TALLADEGA-CAMP 363

TALLAHASSEE FCI, FL 1375

TERMINAL ISL FCI, CA 808

TERRE HAUTE USP, IN 979

TERRE HAUTE-CAMP 437

TEXARKANA FCI, TX 1337

TEXARKANA-CAMP 284

THREE RIVERS FCI, TX 1114

THREE RIVERS-CAMP 289

TUCSON FCI, AZ 862

VICTORVILLE MED FCI 1682

VICTORVILLE-CAMP 199

WASECA FCI, MN 1072

YANKTON FPC, SD 642

YAZOO CITY FCI, MS 1998

YAZOO-CAMP 135

BUREAU OF PRISONS 140256

PRIVATELY MANAGED PRISONS

CALIFORNIA CITY CI, CA 2592

CIBOLA COUNTY CI, NM 1020

ELOY DC, AZ 472

ELOY DC-INS 956

MCRAE CI, NC 312

RIVERS CI, NC 1399

TAFT CI, CA 1788

TAFT-CAMP 453

TOTAL 8992

CONTRACT FACILITIES

LONG-TERM

CONTRACT/IGA 7088

BIG SPRING, TX 2623

EDEN, TX 1268

GARZA, TX 965

REEVES, TX 2011

OTHER 221

CCC'S 6262

HOME CONFINEMENT 1534

JAIL/SHORT-TERM

DETENTION 1029

CONTRACT JUVENILES 266

TOTAL 16179

TOTAL, BUREAU OF PRISONS 165427

[www.bop.gov]