The U.S. Census Bureau released 2009 figures on income, poverty and health insurance coverage this week, and the numbers are pretty grim. Since 2008, the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line grew from 13.2 percent to 14.3 percent. There were 43.6 million Americans living in poverty in 2009.

And when the numbers are broken down, the results are pretty eye-popping: while the percentage of whites below the poverty line increased from 8.6 to 9.4, for blacks it went from 24.7 to 25.8, and for Hispanics it jumped from 23.2 to 25.3. Let’s think about that: one out of every four black and Hispanic Americans lives in poverty.

For children below the age of 18, the numbers jumped by almost 1.4 million in the last year, from just over 14 million in 2008 (or 19.0 percent) to 15.45 million in 2009 (or 20.7 percent). One in five American children lives in poverty.

The new numbers aren’t broken down by state, but last year, West Virginia didn’t fare very well overall (17.4 percent below the poverty line) or for children (23.9 percent).

And if these numbers weren’t upsetting enough on their own, the Justice Policy Institute just published this study that makes the connection between those facing economic hardship and those who end up incarcerated.

Poverty does not create crime, nor is limited wealth and income necessarily a predictor of involvement in the justice system; however, people with the fewest financial resources are more likely to end up in prison or jail. And the effects of an economic crisis like the one we are now experiencing are magnified for people with less income and wealth.

For this reason, the Justice Policy Institute chose to explore the connection between poverty and incarceration. Crime is down across the country, yet arrests and prison populations continue to increase, and disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color. (more…)

The Senate Judiciary Committee hit the road today to hold a hearing on drug-related crime in rural areas in Chairman Patrick Leahy‘s home state of Vermont. There was some pretty compelling testimony, which I’ve excerpted and linked to below.

First, from R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, who noted that in 2006, the last year data was available, “drug-induced deaths surpassed gun-shot wounds and now rank second only to motor vehicle crashes as a cause of injury deaths in our country.” He continued:

In 2008, Americans living in rural areas used illicit drugs at lower overall levels of current use (approximately 6 percent) than their counterparts in suburban and metropolitan areas (8-9 percent). Rural Americans also show lower rates of diagnosable drug abuse and dependence. However, closer inspection of the data reveals some concerns about rural drug use.

Youth in rural America show higher rates of use, particularly for methamphetamines, prescription pain killers and alcohol. Data show that 2.9 percent of young adults, ages 18 to 25, use methamphetamine in the most rural areas. That rate is nearly double the 1.5 percent of young adults using meth in urban areas. This pattern is similar for OxyContin, with 2.8 percent of young adults in the most rural areas abusing these drugs, compared to 1.7 percent of urban young adults. The latest data also show that youth in the smallest rural areas binge drink at higher rates than their peers in suburban and metropolitan areas. Additionally, children aged 12 to 17 from the most rural areas are more likely to have used alcohol, engaged in heavy drinking and driven under the influence. These differences are significant and pose unique challenges in rural communities.

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One of the most alarming issues in rural areas is the rate of overdose deaths. Rural communities have experienced significant increases in overdose death rates, rapidly outpacing the rate increases in urban and suburban communities. These deaths are largely attributed to the rise in misuse of prescription painkillers. The latest study available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examining data from 1999-2004 shows that overdose death rates in predominantly rural states are higher than in more metropolitan states. Vermont, Maine and West Virginia all experienced significant increases in overdose death rates during this time: 164 percent, 210 percent and 550 percent respectively.

Col. Thomas L’Esperance, director of the Vermont State Police, described how Vermont uses drug task forces drawing from various law enforcement agencies, an approach that is also used in West Virginia.

Several years of wide spread focus using this strategy resulted in substantial drops in heroin arrests and for a period of time the demand for the drug subsided. Although we made great strides against heroin we know now that the powerful pain medication oxycodone, commonly found in the prescription drug OxyContin, quickly moved in to take its place on the street. The diversion of prescription narcotics is one of the greatest challenges we now face in Vermont. OxyContin has become as widespread and available as heroin or crack cocaine. With the increase in demand for narcotics such as OxyContin we are also seeing a spike in the number of heroin cases state wide. In the past 16 months there has been a 115% increase in the number of heroin cases conducted by the Drug Task Force. This can be attributed in part to the increase in OxyContin addictions in the state and the fact that comparatively the street value of a bag of heroin is generally less than half the value of one 80mg OxyContin pill.

His description of how heroin is undergoing a bit of a resurgence, particularly as an alternative for oxycodone users, sounds familiar, doesn’t it? (more…)