Economic Impacts of Prison Growth, and More from CRS
“The historic, sustained rise in [the U.S. prison population] has broad implications, not just for the criminal justice system, but for the larger economy. About 770,000 people worked in the corrections sector in 2008 [and this number is expected to grow]…. By comparison, in 2008 there were 880,000 workers in the entire U.S. auto manufacturing sector.” See “Economic Impacts of Prison Growth” (pdf), April 13, 2010.
Other noteworthy new CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News that Congress has not made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“The Role of the Senate in Judicial Impeachment Proceedings: Procedure, Practice, and Data,” April 9, 2010.
“Military Personnel and Freedom of Religious Expression: Selected Legal Issues,” April 8, 2010.
“Multilateral Development Banks: Overview and Issues for Congress,” April 9, 2010.
“Foreign Aid Reform, National Strategy, and the Quadrennial Review,” April 12, 2010.
“Supreme Court Appointment Process: Roles of the President, Judiciary Committee, and Senate,” February 19, 2010.
There is no question this is a Big Deal. If you are a university or research lab, or aspire to work in one, or are simply an enthusiast of federally-funded research, what’s next will matter.
The emerging federal metascience community is asking fascinating questions that are equally vital for democratic legitimacy: beyond “did this program work” to “how does the federal R&D enterprise itself work, and how could it work better?”
If you’re new to the climate intervention space, welcome! The TL;DR: if we can’t stop the most catastrophic impacts of climate change with current tools quickly enough, then we need a bigger toolbox.
After months of delay, the council tasked by President Trump to review the FEMA released its final report. Our disaster policy nerds have thoughts.