An insane study came out by the Pew Center last month that warrants mentioning. It reported that more than 1% of America’s adult population are in jail. One in a hundred people… seriously America?
As Colbert would say, “We did it!”:
With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second.
I’m no expert, but this does not look good. Not that we generally care what other countries think, but really, this is like a tattoo on the forehead it speaks so loud.
The saddest part is this is not all that surprising when you consider the systemic problems we have in our criminal justice system. Our prosecution of the war on drugs is an outright farce, with sentencings for non-violent drug offenders way out of control. That coupled with the targeting of minorities (the study says an astounding 1 in 10 African-American males aged 20 to 34 are behind bars), and a three strikes law which will put a guy in prison for life for stealing nine videotapes.
But on top of everything, what really spins the proverbial head is the fact it costs tax payers way more money to keep these non-violents in jail rather than in a public rehab center, where they would most likely receive something resembling proper treatment and thus have a better shot at actual rehabilitation.
If this was a real Christian nation, one in which Jesus is listened to instead of prostituted, we would not do this to our own.
Prisons should keep criminals away from law abiding citizens, that should be the priority.I’m sorry so many people choose to break the law and go to prison. Criminals are not too bright,and deserve help (in prison).
i agree, and prisons serve that exact function of separating the law breakers from the law abiders. but there’s an excess occurring here, reflected in this crazy statistic of 1 in 100.
would you agree there are some imbalances in the severity of sentencings with relation to non-violent, often drug related crimes? and that prison maybe isn’t always the ideal environment to get help?
there are so many more options for dealing with our sick. locking them in a square box cannot conceivably be the best solution every time.
let alone best solution…it’s costing us a shitload to produce people even worse then they were when they went in. what a system!
I say legalize and monitor/tax drugs and save the prisons for the people that are violent and dangerous.