I wanted to take the once-yearly opportunity to invite subscribers to the
Prison Policy Initiative's "Prisoners of the Census news" listserve. The
list, which has about one message a week, consists of news and commentary on
the redistricting implications of the U.S. Census counting prisoners as
residents of the prison towns rather than their homes.
Monday's message, with the text of NYTimes editorial about the effort to
change how prisoners are counted, is below.
-Peter Wagner
--
Peter Wagner
http://www.PrisonersoftheCensus.org
pwagner@prisonpolicy.org http://www.prisonpolicy.org
Prison Policy Initiative PO Box 127 Northampton, MA 01061
------ Forwarded Message
From: Peter Wagner
<pwagner@prisonpolicy.org>
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 12:23:00 -0400
To: Prisoners of the Census news
<Prisonersofthecensus-news@prisonersofthecensus.org>
Subject: [PrisonersoftheCensus] NYT Editorial: Phantom Constituents in the
Census
What's new from Prisoners of the Census,
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org
a project of the Prison Policy Initiative:
* * *
SAVE THE DATE
There will be a reception for the Prison Policy Initiative on October
15 at 4:30pm in Dorchester, MA. Invitations and more information will
be sent out later this week.
* * *
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL
Phantom Constituents in the Census
http://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/news/fact-26-9-2005.shtml
A longstanding quirk in census rules counts incarcerated people as
"residents" of the prisons where most are held for only a short time,
instead of counting them in the towns and cities where they actually
live. This practice was scarcely noticeable 30 years ago, when the
prison population was insignificant. But with 1.4 million people in
prison today, this padding of electoral districts' population figures
shifts political power from the densely populated urban areas where
most inmates live to the less populated rural districts where prisons
are often built.
In 48 of 50 states the inmates cannot vote anyway. But they still
count as constituents when state legislators sit down to draw up
legislative districts. This bogus inflation gives prison districts
undeserved strength in the state legislature and more influence than
they would otherwise have in state affairs. Indeed, many legislative
districts actually contain far too few people to be legal districts
at all when the nonvoting inmates are subtracted. In some places, the
phantom constituents account for more than 20 percent of the
population count.
This arrangement has an unfortunate resemblance to early America
under slavery, when slaves were barred from the polls but counted as
three-fifths of a person for the purposes of apportioning
representation in Congress. In addition, legislators from the rural
prison counties often use this purloined power to vote against the
interests of the urban communities from which prison inmates most
typically come. By counting impoverished inmates as citizens, the
prison counties also reap more than a fair share of federal dollars
that are earmarked for the poor.
Several experts, including a former director of the census, have
suggested that the bureau count inmates at their preprison
residences. A panel reviewing residency issues in general has heard
compelling testimony that should drive it to the same conclusion. And
instead of waiting until the next census in 2010, the Census Bureau
should simply change its procedures now. Counting inmates where they
live would cure what has clearly become a troubling flaw in the
census process.
* * *
I welcome your feedback on the issue, the website, and this message.
And as always, if you prefer to not receive these messages,
just let me know.
Best wishes,
Peter Wagner
--
Peter Wagner
http://www.PrisonersoftheCensus.org
pwagner@prisonpolicy.org http://www.prisonpolicy.org
Prison Policy Initiative PO Box 127 Northampton, MA 01061
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------ End of Forwarded Message