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1 in 4 of All Prisoners Worldwide is Locked Up in America

motherjones.com — U.S prisons hold 1.5 million prisoners, and when you add in local jails, it's 2.3 million —1 in 100 American adults. Since the 1980s, we've sat by as the numbers inched higher and our prison system ballooned, swallowing up a larger portion of the citizenry. What does it take for us to do something about this?

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  • orlyfactor, on 07/22/2008, -7/+29We're #1 (in 4)!
    • pe5t1lence, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4Prisoners: Gotta catch 'em all!
    • jabberwolf, on 07/23/2008, -2/+6Well we could make it easier.
      1st degree, planned out murder and torture - while in the USA gets you death or life in prison.
      In New Zealand, you can be out in 11-14 years.
      Isnt that special!??

      How about this? Why not just make smokin weed a ticketable offense and stop filling our jails for stupid reasons, its costing us money and for nonsense crimes.
      • Adamlite, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2Miraculously, that's the case in Texas. Possession of under 4 ounces by an adult in his/her home county is now a ticketable offense, rather than one that mandates an arrest. It's only really caught on in Austin, but it's good to know that there's progress even in this backwards-ass state.

        Edit: that's House Bill 2391, passed in 2007, for those interested.
    • OwdenBowden, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2Yeah. Give us your Tired, Poor, Rapers, Murders, Robbers, Thieves, Criminal yearning to rob free.
    • theJeebus, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1So of a worldwide population of 6.7 billion, there are only 9.2 million prisoners globally? Subtracting the US numbers, that leaves about 7 million prisoners of a population of 6.4 billion, or about only 1:914, or 109 per 100,000. That sounds low considering countries like China, but I guess they execute them instead.

      Regardless, US numbers are only too high because lots are victimless crimes. The violent criminals deserve to rot in there.
  • SouthernGuy118, on 07/22/2008, -7/+79Nothing will ever be done about it so long as U.S. citizens embrace the culture of fear. We are taught to be afraid of everything and to over-estimate the scope of problems. I grew up in an extremely well-off neighborhood. Still, we constantly heard about keeping crime off of our streets. The worst crime to ever happen there in 18 years was a drug deal. Only one. The rest of our supposed "crime" consisted of minor vandalism by 13 y/o punks. (by minor vandalism i mean destruction of lawn ornaments.) Even in this neighborhood, people wouldn't go outside after dark.

    The prison population will continue to clime until we get over our fear and realize that possession of pot isn't an offense punishable by a life sentence.
    • poprocksandsoda, on 07/23/2008, -30/+6Statistics show that no more than 0.07% of people in prison are there for pot-only offenses. How will this make a difference? In fact, only 5.6% of all inmates are in for drug offenses so legalization of all drugs wouldn't make much difference. Usually, if you're in jail for drugs it's because you were doing/transporting drugs while committing other crimes.
      • FairDinkumMate, on 07/23/2008, -4/+29"Statistics show that..." WHAT statistics? Where are your SOURCES?

        I could write:

        Statistics show that people like poprocksandsoda who don't quote their sources usually do so because they just made the ***** up or the sources are highly questionable!
      • cdigioia, on 07/23/2008, -5/+2Source:
        http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:aeYg2oE-bWgJ: ...

        Not so sure about the source (White House). Seriously though, the writers job was to justify the current policy so who knows how they arrived at those figures.
      • xexx, on 07/23/2008, -1/+21gg lying.

        "From 1995 to 2003, inmates incarcerated in federal prisons for drug offenses have accounted for 49 percent of total prison population growth."

        http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic ...
      • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -1/+15Seriously, poprock has to be an idiot. Drug offenses make up for at least half of the prison population. That's one of the big plus's of decriminalizing weed, it would cut drug offenses significantly. The US has an absurd view of looking at drugs in the legal system. A large percentage of the people with drug offenses are non-violent criminals and really have no business being in prison. The US also has a harsh stigma that follows the "criminals" for life, learned helplessness is why the prison population are so high. Some things that have really worked in Canada are the youth criminal justice act, pardons..which I'm getting right now thank god, prison programs that work, and a variety of parole options that give ex-cons second chances. As great as the US is, they have a horrible criminal legal system.
    • Aggaman, on 07/23/2008, -1/+5That's not going to happen. Americans seem addicted to punishing people. It's an extremely conservative country. Anyone who doesn't like it should really move to Canada, since nothing will be done about it (except building more prisons). Canada has better donuts anyway, so it's not all bad.
      • JrtD, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0Canada doesn't want us. Check out their immigration requirements.
    • JustinCase18, on 07/23/2008, -4/+4More likely these statistics are because

      A) We keep track of our prisoners. How many other countries do we hear about people "mysteriously disappearing"? (Whether this is happening in the US might be debatable in some circles, but even Gitmo has some record of who is where.)

      B) The sentencing guidelines in some countries are much more final. (Even Texas keeps its death row prisoners for 15 - 20 years and requires a mandatory number of appeals before the prisoner is put to death.) How many countries execute you the next day? This definitely put the final number of prisoners in the US column.
    • kittnerrules, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1clime
    • ahimsam, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Maybe I'm hopeful. Maybe my life plans hinge on this. But I'm going to disagree with the cynics. Ultimately, Americans do things because it's efficient or needed. And we WILL hit a crisis here. Incarceration is very very expensive and you're playing with fire if your solution to urban poor people is to:
      a) not provide educations
      b) incubate or allow for a drug system that is rampant yet criminal
      c) cause these same people to go to prisons that make them worse and worse

      Yes, some people are damaged and are likely long-term unviable for society. But not this many.
  • CrazedLeper, on 07/22/2008, -17/+30Hypocrite nation of idiots. There isn't anything wrong; this is exactly what your government wants and has always wanted. They didn't kill all the Native Americans so they could share the land with Africans. There couldn't possibly be this many criminals in the country but because *certain* people don't want to co-exist with other people, covert means have been employed to address the needs of the evil at the expense of the innocent in ways that the courts won't block ("separate but equal", anyone?). Indeed, the courts promote this method. You know this method as the "war on drugs."
    • orlyfactor, on 07/22/2008, -3/+20Maybe if they reformed the draconian drug laws in the US, that number would drop significantly.
      • CrazedLeper, on 07/22/2008, -3/+10Which is exactly why they don't reform the laws. They wanted it this way.
    • ToiletGhost, on 07/23/2008, -6/+8That is the stupidest thing I've read all day. The government wants me in jail and costing them nearly 30k a year because we are racist.

      Nevermind that a black man is going to win the presidency
      in case you didn't know, which it looks like you don't, separate but equal WAS OVERTURNED BY THE COURTS
      The courts in the US have also realized the incredible amount of drug offenses and the uselessness of imprisionment for addiction and have created special courts called DRUG COURTS.

      moron
      • Visarga, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6The govt doesn't represent your interests. It represents the lobby interests - to siphon money from the state to private prisons.
      • CrazedLeper, on 07/23/2008, -2/+1@ToiletGhost

        Obama is winnning nothing; he is being used like Powell was used and like Rice is being used. Your gov't can spare the jail money, it is worth the cost to reduce the black birth rate. I know separate but equal was overturned, the reason I mentioned it is because *somebody* wanted it.

        That collective somebody never stopped wanting it and they found another way. The "war on drugs" is nonsense since the CIA actively distributes drugs throughout the country.

        You, sir, are the moron because you are uninformed.
      • ToiletGhost, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0I was going to write all the reasons why you are wrong here, but I realized you are a crazy person who is paranoid and delusional about the CIA.

        And Obama has a 9 point lead in the polls according to gallup. I think Clinton had like a 15 point lead over Dole. Pretty easy victory.
    • jabberwolf, on 07/23/2008, -3/+3Yes its all a planned experiment.

      Thank god we have YOU that has all the right information and answers to make us aware!
      I mean without this conspiracy what would we do without you? What would YOU do without this conspiracy?
      Have a life maybe!?!?
      • CryRightardCry, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1Maybe taking up shilling for corruption and failure?
    • CrazedLeper, on 07/23/2008, -2/+2Scoff all you like, Jabberwolf, but food does not go on the shelf in America unless there is a conspiracy. Ever heard of a "slotting fee"? You are uninformed.
      • eviltandem, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2"but food does not go on the shelf in America unless there is a conspiracy."

        what does that mean? i've read it 4 times and i still don't know what it's supposed to mean.
      • ToiletGhost, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0Apparantly a food stocking fee to pay for a grocery worker's salary is a conspiracy to this guy.
  • rearlgrant, on 07/22/2008, -4/+31Good article. The author missed the chance to critique the profit motive of private prisons. http://www.justiceworks.info/index.php?module=page ...
  • tufftugg, on 07/22/2008, -10/+8 Only 3/4 to go...:-)
  • LoJack, on 07/23/2008, -18/+5We can't build a prison big enough for all the Muslims, so we turn Iraq into one.
  • UltramegaOK, on 07/23/2008, -11/+14I want to move to Canada after college. Who's with me?
    • minnymoo, on 07/23/2008, -3/+10Let's go to France instead; unlimited sick days from work.
      • RogueMountie, on 07/23/2008, -0/+21...but Canada has the world's largest supply of beavers and beaver related paraphernalia.
      • lajaw, on 07/23/2008, -2/+3Watch out, your socialism is showing.
      • jabberwolf, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1Yep that's if you can find a job there. They have around 9-10% unemployment rate - that's for citizens.
    • charlietuna, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5How big are your *****?
    • apetrie, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1Its not as easy as a lot of people seem to think to move to Canada though, much better to try to fix your own system. That its impossible to change is just another lie you are meant to believe to keep you complacent.
    • basevillin, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1You and half of the rest of college students. Reality will crush you soon enough.
  • mercurywaxing, on 07/23/2008, -11/+35Thank god I'm White.
  • chubbybubba, on 07/23/2008, -25/+2It's whitey's fault. But, it's okay. When Barack gets elected he's gonna pimp slap whitey and send him crying home to his mama.
  • whereisian, on 07/23/2008, -5/+31I find it disgusting that the prison system in the US if for profit. Why is 1 in 100 locked up? It makes someone money.
    • kittnerrules, on 07/23/2008, -4/+1let me help you out: "I find it disgusting that the prison system in the US is for profit. Why are 1 in 100 locked up? It is making someone money."
      • whereisian, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Thanks for correcting my correct sentence.
  • Justice101, on 07/23/2008, -19/+7We could just kill them...I'm just saying...
    • usaf1984, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3i say we letem go :) they would be so happy they would all turn out to be the upstanding citizens we all expect them to go.
    • Tom10803, on 07/23/2008, -3/+4A good amount of people in jail dont deserve to be killed, and also a good amount of them were put in jail for BS reasons.
      • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6nobody deserves to be killed. *****.
    • roodammy44, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1We could just kill you...I'm just saying...
  • topbob, on 07/23/2008, -14/+1i iz speakn inglish plz?
  • GorfTron, on 07/23/2008, -11/+30We still can make room for Bush.
  • Rudegar, on 07/23/2008, -8/+1well your pretty safe in isolation in prison ;)
  • gamer3999, on 07/23/2008, -12/+8And 1/3 of them are illegal immigrants.
  • HotSaucePanCake, on 07/23/2008, -8/+2Lead poisoning would be cheaper
  • Sarevok9, on 07/23/2008, -2/+3An interesting related article that was on digg not too long ago.

    http://www.bostonreview.net/BR32.4/article_loury.p ...
  • vegetables, on 07/23/2008, -2/+24The number of imprisoned drug offenders is just preposterous. I think that's a good place to start rethinking policy. Instead of the War on Drugs...legalize and rehabilitate?
    • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -3/+1if you even think rehabilitation is worth the effort.
      • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -2/+3how is not worth the effort?
      • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -3/+2Really, you think all of humanity is good? Put yourself in a uniform and meet a couple of child beaters and tell me people are always worth the effort. No, some people should go to hell and burn.
      • sodade, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5I think that the courts (and court appointed professionals) should take a long, hard look at someone they are sentencing. Basically, if the person is going to come out of jail worse for society than when they came in, you gotta figure out another way to deal with them. Putting a non-violent criminal into the regular prison system will make a worse criminal.

        The republican view is that criminals need to be punished and who cares about rehabilitation. This is an anti-social view that spits on pragmatic solutions.
    • multimed, on 07/23/2008, -4/+0Umm...isn't there a bit of a disjoint there - if you think drugs should be legalized, you're saying it's OK, something that should be allowed. If that's then case, they why do you think rehabilitation is necessary?
      • macplenty, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6Alcohol is legal and there are plenty of alcohol abuse treatment centers in the US. If you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, then that's a you problem, not a governmental one.
      • eviltandem, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2Here let me help you:

        1. Legalise:
        a) tax it so you make money
        b) use some of that money to build rehab clinics for those that want it
        c) lower the prices for the consumer
        d) spend the rest on whatever

        2. Illegal:
        a) spend 20 billion a year fighting it
        b) spend billions more holding people in prison
        c) spend billions more extraditing people to this country so you can increase b
        d) increase the cost of drugs, and make sure gangs and drug cartels have plenty of money

        All of which has the same net result. Which is people that want it can find it easily. I can have anything I want in rather short order. So the choice really comes down to whether you want to make money or lose money on this issue.
    • apetrie, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3lamiaconfitor: Some people will always be beyond hope, those people are not an excuse to abandon everyone though. If you even can only rehabilitate one in four or even less, its worth it.

      Lets not even get into how ridiculous it is to think that pot users should be in jail or need "help" to begin with.
  • CrudeDarkness, on 07/23/2008, -15/+9Just do what the Chinese do and kill them off...
    • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -8/+1No, not even 'they' are that obscene. Idiot. Go ***** a goat on a hill.
      • Failchan, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3As opposed to in a bedroom? That's where I usually do the deed...
  • MoClippa, on 07/23/2008, -2/+25Obligatory - "land of the free?"
    • Fastbullit, on 07/23/2008, -0/+15Land of the imprisoned and home of the frightened.
    • lajaw, on 07/23/2008, -3/+1It is, if you follow the rules. If you think that the rules are wrong, quit voting for the two major parties and have a go at freedom and liberty. Pretty simple.
  • dbr2k, on 07/23/2008, -2/+29that's what you get when you lock someone up for setting fire to a piece of plant and inhaling.....
  • bcstereotype, on 07/23/2008, -6/+1The article paints a grim picture to be sure, but I can't help but wonder what a lot of people, not necessarily the majority, did to get into prison in the first place. It paints the right pictures and chooses the correct anecdotes to get its point across, yet it doesn't feel like a well-rounded consideration of the issue. This seems to be a pretty sticky issue with so many different takes on it. Arguably, there are questions of money-making motives, human rights, blah, blah. It is (equally arguably) clear is that something is wrong, but what can be done to correct it?
    • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5It's actually fairly easy to correct. Change your legislation. Stop the war on drugs, implement better rehabilitation programs, imprison violent offenders with a high risk of recidivism etc. It's actually that easy. It's not that the American citizens are all that more violent than other countries, non taking into account everyone owning a gun, it's the laws that exist right now that are making the prison populations so high. Canada and the US and virtually the same crime trends on a timescale, yet Canada has much lower crime rates because we have a different legislation, such as not imprisoning people for smoking/selling weed, or petty crimes.
      • multimed, on 07/23/2008, -2/+0So the problem lies in the fact that the laws are just too tough rather than that some people can't seem to follow them?

        Our laws (and sentencing) should absolutely NOT be based on how full the prisons are.

        I do think people shouldn't serve prison time for doing pot (if they are which I'm not terribly clear on). But other drugs do have a high rate of associated crimes - everything from domestic abuse to robbery & murder so I just don't have much of a problem getting those people off the street. It's also easy to say more emphasis needs to be placed on rehabilitation for those people when they're incarcerated, which may well be true. But the immutable truth of the matter is no rehab will work unless the person really & truly wants to clean up.
      • SouthernGuy118, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3there is a difference between laws being tough and laws being absurd.
        If a drug conviction carries mandatory rehab and community service, it's tough.
        If a drug conviction carries a mandatory 20 year prison sentence, it's absurd.
        Yes, our laws should be based on how full our prisons are. If you have a huge segment of the population in prison, chances are your laws are insane.
      • Adamlite, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1That, and the laws are out-of-touch with the people.
      • eviltandem, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1@multimed

        "Our laws (and sentencing) should absolutely NOT be based on how full the prisons are."

        Right. Balanced thinking, planning, and acceptance of reality is a horrible idea. Better to all stumble around in the dark randomly doing things in the hope that everything works out in the end. In other words, more of the same. I think you went to the school of Bush... no plan is not a plan...

        "I do think people shouldn't serve prison time for doing pot (if they are which I'm not terribly clear on)"

        Yes, they are. We even spend money trying to extradite people into this country so we can then put them in prison for selling pot to people who sold pot to people. I can safely guess every penny you gave the government went to a fraction of 1 pot smoker in prison. Get a few of you together and we can put 1 guy in prison. Is that the best way you can think of to spend that money?

        "But other drugs do have a high rate of associated crimes - everything from domestic abuse to robbery & murde"

        Because they are illegal. Nobody gets into fights over caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol because they are legal. When something is illegal the only way to resolve conflict is with violence. By making it illegal you have created the situation you claim existed in the first place. Nice circular logic. Want proof? The best and safes place to buy drugs is in the countries where it is legal. Just like the best place in the US to get prostitutes is Las Vegas. When it's legal everything is open, clean, and safe.

        "But the immutable truth of the matter is no rehab will work unless the person really & truly wants to clean up."

        Correct. Including spending billions to keep them in prison. Otherwise they are just going to do everything possible to get more drugs, which involves stealing because it is illegal. So the price stays really high, drug lords reap all the profits, and he has to steal from us to feed his habit.

        I've never heard of a robbery to get coffee money...
  • JCPahl, on 07/23/2008, -3/+18Many of our prisons are privately run, and the corporations that own the prisons then lobby for tougher laws. It also helps that our ridiculous 'justice' system imprisons people for marijuana use and other victimless crimes. "Land of the Free" my ass.
  • DrPaul2008, on 07/23/2008, -4/+24I heard once that something like 80% of the people imprisoned in the United States are for victimless crimes, or crimes against the state. Don't ever confuse legality, and morality.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2It is a complicated world, there are shades of gray that are undefined, even between the two.
    • multimed, on 07/23/2008, -3/+1I once heard that if I forwarded an email to a bunch of people Bill Gates would give me $10,000.
    • Adamlite, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3Thank you! I've been giving that caveat for years (that legality shouldn't be a basis for morality) . Even got my parents to be reasonable about their stance on marijuana.
  • kosmoss, on 07/23/2008, -3/+15Prison system in US is a big business, don't forget about that.
  • duckduckswan, on 07/23/2008, -4/+14it can be solved in two simple words: "legalize it"
  • Neurotropic, on 07/23/2008, -8/+5Prison labor is the modern slavery and a replacement for overseas sweatshops.
    That is why the governments are criminalizing everyday things so they can increase the endentured workforce.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3No, its more complicated then that, but you have scratched the surface, (in a simple way) The actions inherent to a populist government trying to ensure its own health over the heath of its nation.... that is the problem. Your Issue is simply a symptom... not the goal.
  • lamiaconfitor, on 07/23/2008, -4/+5Home of the free?
  • zadadka, on 07/23/2008, -9/+225% of the worlds population are American criminals ......interesting stat.
  • IRPro, on 07/23/2008, -17/+6Perhaps this just shows the effectiveness of our police investigators who put criminals behind bars?

    Perhaps it shows that the liberal mindset of "we're all ok! There is nothing that is evil" doesn't work?

    Perhaps is shows us that when you remove God from peoples lives, hope is lost?

    Digg me down, I know you will.. but I also know it will be wandering in your mind.."maybe he is right.."
    • kakwakas, on 07/23/2008, -2/+9Or not.
    • Fastbullit, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4Right?
    • mithrasinvictus, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6How do you explain the explosively rising numbers of drug related deaths since the war on drugs started? Isn't that what it is supposed to be preventing?
    • Archer007, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4You're mixing the debate about morals with drugs.
      • IRPro, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1Actually no, I am showing Cause and effect.
  • nastronomical, on 07/23/2008, -19/+5Perhaps this just shows the effectiveness of our police investigators who put criminals behind bars?

    Perhaps it shows that the liberal mindset of "we're all ok! There is nothing that is evil" doesn't work?

    Perhaps is shows us that when you remove God from peoples lives, hope is lost?

    Digg me down, I know you will.. but I also know it will be wandering in your mind.."maybe he is right.."
    • Visarga, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2It shows how the sheepish people will stand for anything. Fraud wars, massive imprisonment, destruction of human rights. Yes, all that is OK with you.

      The only thing that matters is what women do with their vagina and what gay ppl do with their dicks. Religious crowd: GET A LIFE! If you're so spiritual, how come you always mind what other people do with their sexuality and body?
  • Bowd99, on 07/23/2008, -3/+5They're trying to build a prison, they're trying to build a prison, they're trying to build a prison...
  • Ryan166, on 07/23/2008, -10/+8What other country has a fairly large number of black people and a legitimate justice/prison system? There are none, and thats why the US has such a large share of the world's prisoners.
    • WoollyMittens, on 07/23/2008, -2/+6Don't be an racist *****. There's more western countries than the USA.

    • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -3/+6Seriously, that is just racist. Ever heard of sentencing disparity? It's a proven fact that judges/juries/police convict blacks for the exact same crimes that white people get to walk away from. Blacks also have a much harsher stigma that follows them for life after being in the penal system.
      • mike17032, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3Its also a proven fact that blacks commit a much, MUCH larger share of violent crime than any other race (in the USA).
      • apetrie, on 07/23/2008, -2/+1mike17032: Has it really not occurred to you that there just might be a link between the percentage of poor people who are black, and the associated crime rate of blacks? Surely you're not too stupid to see how that has oh just a little something to do with it? As in, EVERYTHING to do with it?

        I can see that you're just a bigoted close minded ***** from the "libtard" ***** you are bring into it, but it seemed worth trying to point out what you have obviously missed.
    • mike17032, on 07/23/2008, -2/+2It does sound racist, but the fact is that Blacks are far more likely to commit violent crimes than any other race in the US.

      Dont give me that libtard ***** about how the system is biased, we are talking about people who COMMIT crimes, not just ones that are convicted for them.
      • travis1982, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1Yea, why do you think that is Mike? Because blacks are just prone to violence? No, because it's a self fulfilling prophecy with blacks, they are taught they are ***** from day one, have been since the slave trade. US society has conditioned blacks to be that way, if anyone thinks that someones race makes an individual more violent...wow. There are a number of sociological theories that explain this racial problem, labeling theory, power theory etc.
  • awesometastic1, on 07/23/2008, -9/+3"land of the free"... no seriously though. In order to achieve the level of order we have in this nation it takes quite a bit of laws. And of course unlike most nations in the world we enforce a lot of our laws. Most nations it is dangerous to go out at night because they don't lock up there criminals. I'm not saying our system is perfect, far from it, but it's a misleading statistic. Try traveling the world sometime and you'll see that most nations don't lock anybody up even when they rape, murder, etc. And often in those nations it's the police who need to be locked up the most. :-)

    And of course in a lot of those other nations they just kill or maim all their criminals without much of any sort of trial or anything like that. So it's not really a fair comparison.
    • jerrykew, on 07/23/2008, -0/+8I seriously doubt whether you have travelled much. I am European, and have travelled extensively. The USA is one of the countries where I feel least safe.
    • TheIronKing, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1If you compare the U.S. to war zones and third world countries, then you are absolutely right, but if you compare the U.S. to civilize countries (and I assure you, there is a lot of them) then you are dead wrong and obviously haven't traveled the world as you seem to imply.

      Canada, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, England, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, Australia, Cuba, Switzerland and Greece.

      I have visited all these countries and felt much safer walking at night then I do when I go to the U.S.
  • mjklaser, on 07/23/2008, -11/+4Be kind and honorable and you won't likely land in prison...
    • Visarga, on 07/23/2008, -0/+8Unless you live in a ghetto, in which case you are 10 times more probable to go to prison, or you are non-white.
    • sodade, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4Dream on ponyboy.
      There is no honor in this drug war you douchebag.
      • mjklaser, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Wow. Hey lost soul, I read your other comments and now feel sorry for all those who either know you or otherwise have to interact with you. Normal people cannot tell whether you are giving them the finger or showing them your IQ.
  • WoollyMittens, on 07/23/2008, -2/+9Privatized prisons, like all corporations, strive for maximized profit and perpetual growth. Why is everyone surprised that little is done about this growth market?
  • akashra, on 07/23/2008, -9/+4Why is it that every time someone points out the number of people in prisons, people think that the laws are the problem? Yes, some laws are stupid and aren't deserving of time, but did anyone stop to think that maybe the problem isn't that the laws are wrong, but that there actually are that many people who are morally screwed up and need or deserve to be behind bars?
    • masterofshadows, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5If you read the article the author doesn't blame the laws or say that the laws are wrong, what it says is we don't rehabilitate our prisoners so we get high rates of recidivism (repeat offenders) and we have overly large prison terms.
  • ToiletGhost, on 07/23/2008, -5/+4We are a large country, China executes pretty frequently, and in south and central america they are killed in prision.
    • SimonGray, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2Large as in 5% of the population of the world. Doesn't quite reach 25%.
      • basevillin, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Not every place in the world has the benefit of law enforcement. Yes, benefit.
  • palewook, on 07/23/2008, -3/+3at least bush put us into the led in something..
    • Vassago5k, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Obviously, it's not your spelling.
  • PepeGSay, on 07/23/2008, -6/+11I know how we can stop it! "Stop breaking the law *****!" - Jim Carry, Liar Liar
    • bovilexia, on 07/23/2008, -2/+3that's the first thing I thought of. unfortunately it's a concept that's hard for some people to grasp.
  • Monkeyspanky, on 07/23/2008, -8/+3Does anybody know any judges or politicians who were not born with a silver spoon inserted in their ass.
  • fatas, on 07/23/2008, -4/+5We should lock the rest of you.
    For voting a dumbass like Bush for president, twice too.

    I am sure you will get a hat trick with McCain.
  • secondfiddle, on 07/23/2008, -11/+6If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Its that simple... unless your a whiney liberal.
    • WoollyMittens, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2Your statement is a fallacy, because we have no influence on what is considered, or may be be considered retroactively, to be a crime.
      • Julik, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2I have never been arrested... so I don't find it too difficult to know what is and what is not a crime.
      • secondfiddle, on 07/23/2008, -1/+2Like fish in a barrel. Please tell me it's not this easy to catch liberals.
  • atact88, on 07/23/2008, -7/+5maybe it's the effectiveness of the police, not the overabundance of crime. Also, we execute a lot less people than other places in the world.
    • Visarga, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6It's the productivity of the victimless crime minimal punishment statutes.
  • lajaw, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4Jury nullification. Practice it. Preach it. Preserve our liberty.
  • TheInformer, on 07/23/2008, -4/+8" What does it take for us to do something about this?"

    Maybe not break the law and act like responsible adults?
    • bovilexia, on 07/23/2008, -1/+3Quit thinking logically. We all know the high incarceration rate is due to all the oppressive laws we have here in America.
  • smacksaw, on 07/23/2008, -4/+1Actually, I have an elegantly simple solution for this. Make prisons a voluntary tax on taxpayers. If you believe in them, you fix them. You can opt to pay taxes to house whatever sort of convict pleases you. It's like sponsoring a prisoner!

    It's all about money. Take the hand out of our pockets and we'll start to imprison the people who truly warrant it.

    Or, we could do like Heinlein suggested (and works quite well in Singapore) and just cane people. I'm for both. Locking up alcoholics who harm people in drink-drive accidents is dumb. They're otherwise functional people. Give 'em a lash and get them back into society.
    • macplenty, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1That's the way it once was. To build a prison, the city or state would need to receive a bond. The only way to get a bond was to allow the people to vote on it. For the most part, the people said no to more and more prisons because of the costs associated. It was a great way to check the power of government, they can enact all the criminal laws they want, but without jails and prisons to put supposed offenders in, other types of punishment or a more thorough investigation of the law itself would need to happen.

      Mandatory minimums and sentencing guidelines along with the rise of prison privatization changed all of that. Private prisons do not require bonds and have effectively eliminated the people from the process. We could vote out the Senators and reps that have enacted these laws and allowed prison privatization, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Hell, Ted Kennedy spearheaded the federal sentencing guidelines back in the early 80's and he's still a Senator.
    • multimed, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1I'm curious why you don't think some one who chooses to get drunk, get behind the wheel and as a very foreseeable result injures or kills some one, doesn't deserve to go to jail? How is it fundamentally any different than say, deciding you like to take target practice shooting cans on a busy city street and accidentally shoot some one?

  • nickbyfleet, on 07/23/2008, -6/+6What's your point, that we're one of the only countries in the world with anything resembling justice?
    • apetrie, on 07/23/2008, -2/+2You're kidding right?
    • chadpyle, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1If your president was of a different ethnicity in a lower class, he'd be serving multiple life sentences or worse for his crimes.

      You call that justice?
  • mrzack, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3Welcome to America. Land of the enslaved, and home of the Ass bleeder.
  • VBDon, on 07/23/2008, -4/+2After we started to lock up violent offenders instead of paroling them and just letting them walk the streets, the national crime rate started to go down and has stayed down ever since. So, what's the problem. The most violent 1% of the population can't hurt anyone but themselves. Of course, we could do what China and Saudi Arabia do. Just kill them. Is that the solution this article wants?
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