Which country would you say has the highest prison population in the world?
China? Russia? Iran?
Guess again.
It’s the United States.
Nearly half of all prisoners in the world are in American jails. That’s over 2 million people.
Though good guesses, China has only 1.5 million prisoners, Russia has under a million, and Iran does not even rank, according to the International Center for Prison Studies’ World Prison Population List (8th edition).
Why are so many Americans in prison? Al Jazeera examines our ‘lock ‘em up and throw away the key‘ approach to crime and punishment.
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What do you think of America’s prison situation?
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Might be because for many prisoners, prisons aren’t really so bad. Three squares a day. A bed to sleep on at night. Medical & Dental services as needed. Deviant sexual practices a norm. Law libraries for entertainment. Obscure religious practices bowed to. Entertainment provided by well-meaning churches and business organizations. Is it a walk in the park? Of course not! But when you look at the lives of people on the inside compared to the struggles of some of the people on the outside, the price for dependable meals and a place to sleep is worth the other aggravations.
Thank you for sharing your views here. You make a good point about the comparative struggles of many on the outside. These days, it is absolutely no park stroll for sure….
Reblogged this on buddhafulkat.
Thank you!
3/4 of these held are for non violent crimes and drug possession related. Probably 6 people are employed in the criminal justice/legal system “industry” for each inmate ! It is called the felonization of America to create employment. Blacks and Hispanics suffer the most.Even if released or paroled felons cannot get work and they and their families are destined to welfare the rest of their life or resort to more crime just to sustain a family’s needs. The US wants a certain amount of drugs to come in so they can harvest more “clients”. Afghanistan produces 70% world’s opium which is converted to heroin and some morphine. If what I say is not true why aren’t we napalming the poppy fields? Yet white collar crime with recent financial crises goes unprosecuted.
The felonization of America to create employment…this is the title they should use for any new prison bills. And yeah, what’s up with the blind eye to elite crime??!! Maddening!
or to create profit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-weillgreenberg/profits-and-punishment-th_b_1118737.html
Thanks for bringing this article to our attention. It’s a disturbing must-read.
The majority of prisoners are incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. Due to the failed War on Drugs, drug crimes and their punishments are way out of control. But the government can’t repeal the War on Drugs or it won’t have an excuse to tax the American people so much, which was the real reason for declaring the war in the first place.
Make recreational drugs legal and tax the poop out of them. That’ll get hundreds of thousands of people out of jail instantly and save the country tons of money. Plus, it won’t make the US look quite so hypocritical.
Too late. We are beyond not looking hypocritical. But a drug tax would certainly turn the tide. Care to guess when that will be implemented? My guess? The 5th of Neveruary.