I would suggest exploring the economic costs of raiding and imprisonment. Below is one cost-prison in the state of Massachusetts.


The Cost to Taxpayers

Overcrowding

  • MA prisons are at over 140% of their capacity, with many operating at more than 200% of their intended capacity, and some over 300%.
  • As of March 2011, there were 11,388 inmates in 18 facilities managed by the Department of Corrections. That number is projected to grow 26% — to almost 14,000 – by 2019.
  • Parole rates in MA have dropped dramatically, from 58% in 2010 to 35% in 2011.


The Cost to Taxpayers

  • It costs about $46,000 a year to house just one inmate in MA, 56% more than the national average.
  • In 2010, MA spent $514.2 million on prisons, up from $408.6 million in 2001.
  • Inmates are far more expensive than parolees and those on probation. In 2008, prisons cost an average of $79 per inmate per day, while it costs only $3 to $8 per individual per day to administer parole or probation services.
  • Massachusetts spends nearly $100 million a year on prisoner health care, nearly double the cost from 2001.