The United States Is the World’s Biggest Jailer
The United States only has about four percent of the world’s population. Yet, the U.S. presently incarcerates over one quarter (25%) of the world’s prison population. In this, theland of the free and thehome of the brave, an American citizen has a six times greater chance of being incarcerated than in most other countries. We lead the world in per-capita incarceration rates and the number is growing by leaps and bounds.
Over the past 45 years, our prison population has risen by 700%. Incredibly, one in 99 American adults are behind bars in the U.S. Further, one in 31 adults are under some form ofcorrectional control (e.g. prison, jail, parole and probation populations). All too frequently, incarcerations are the result of low-level, non-violent offenses.
Given our incarceration rates, it is apparent that the number one goal of our justice system is to incarcerate as many poor people as possible who do not have the economic means to fight back. These conditions are leading to the creation of a “prison industrial complex” that is just as real and just as corrupt as the military industrial complex.
Privatizing Probation for Fun and Profit
The prison industrial complex is motivated by profit. Privatized corporations have been given extra-judicial authority in this country to jail as many people as possible. And they have found an old way to accomplish this goal. The end result is that on an increasing basis, our prison population is made up of nonviolent offenders who cannot pay their court costs. In other words, our prisons are increasingly being turned into debtors prisons.