Just 6.0% of people are in state prisons for possession
Looking at federal prisons
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Marijuana | The White House
Thanks for taking the time and effort to cite.
And yes, I agree that your earlier statement in relation to fed offenses is probably right.
But I do disagree with your point in the state data:
Your point was:
Since most of the people in jail are not in jail for possession of small amounts, that is just a talking point playing on emotions while ignoring reality.
The stat needed to support this statement needs to show the ratio of small possession offenses in relation to major offenses, which yours does not do; your reference only shows the % of drug offenses in relation to all offenses.
And I also have other concerns with your cites:
1] County data is not cited, which I believe is where the most action may be for small-time busts (it is in my city).
2] You've also linked to pot data, which is likely different than the data for possession of narcotics (coke, speed, heroin).
3] While supporting your statement in technicality (re: jail population), this doesn't take into effect those that are convicted and received probation, or have already done their time but are still paying a heavy societal price for their drug use.
Now here's an excerpt from my sources:
"The number one reason people go to jail in Cook County? If you guessed drug possession, you’re right. But violent crimes actually make up a bigger proportion than drug charges, and the number one violent crime—and the second-most likely charge for people who go to jail in Cook County—is domestic battery."
And further in the article:
"* The number one offense? Possession of a controlled substance, not counting marijuana: 12,066 admissions, or 16.8 percent of the total (71,663 admissions in 2011)."
Source:
Chicago magazine: Who Goes to Jail in Cook County and Why
Now if we go to the actual report .pdf linked in the beginning of the article, in Table 2 we find:
Type of offense | N | % w/in Offense type | % of Total
Drug 19,238 100.0% 26.9%
Possession of Cont. Subs. 12,066 62.7% 16.8%
Man/Del of Cont. Subs. 3,109 16.2% 4.3%
Possession of Cannabis 2,532 13.2% 3.5%
Man/Del Cannabis 1,018 5.3% 1.4%
Source:
[Loyola University - Chicago] .pdf Download
Now upon examining Table 2, we see that narcotics admissions were approximately 4X more likely to be mere possession rather than sales/manufacturing, and even pot was 2-1/2X more likely to be possession.
So I believe this proves my point. (at least in relation to my local area)
I will admit though, I am surprised drug offenses make-up only ~27% of the jail population. I've always heard around half. Chicago encompasses around 80% of Cook County - in essence, Cook County *is* Chicago, and I think this shows Chicago's violent reputation is deserved.
I'm also surprised to see domestic violence as the 2nd highest category!
But thank you again for taking the time to cite, since it also forced me to do some research as well, shattering the myth perpetrated that drug offenses are half the Cook County Jail admittances.