According to a new study released by Security.org, Hawai‘i ranks third in the nation for drug crime sentencing with half of all prison sentences being drug-related.
The analyzed federal sentencing statistics compiled by the U.S. government to determine which crimes people are jailed for most, and how each state’s federal courts are prosecuting federal crimes.
In the study, Hawai‘i ranked fifth in the nation for the longest prison sentences served by drug offenders—an average of nearly eight years. The study also found that nearly all drug sentences served in Hawai‘i (98.4%) are prison-only. The national average is 82%.
The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. More than 2.2. million people are in prison nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. That number includes roughly 1% of the entire country’s adult male population.
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According to a new study released by Security.org, Hawai‘i ranks third in the nation for drug crime sentencing with half of all prison sentences being drug-related.
