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sabang

One in 100 US adults behind bars: study


More than one in 100 adults are now behind bars in the United States, home to the world's largest penal population, with a startling one in nine young black men incarcerated, a study showed Thursday.

The prison and jail population rose by 25,000 to 2.3 million last year, out of a US adult population of 230 million, bringing the incarceration rate to one in 99.1 for the first time in US history, the Pew Center on the States said.

By comparison, China, with a population of one billion people, was second in the world with 1.5 million inmates, followed by Russia with 890,000 people in the slammer, the study said.

America also has the dubious distinction of leading the planet in the rate of incarceration, which is higher than nations like South Africa and Iran, the study said.

Full article- One in 100 US adults behind bars: study - Breaking News - World - Breaking News


Thats a high rate of incarceration, dwarfing places like China, Iran and North Korea.

I don't think we can blame illegal immigration for this one. Education? Ghettos/ Projects? Minimum wages, which are very low in the US?

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Milkman

I just read that too, Sab.

It's a bureaucratic and private industry.

The government builds more prisons - and they fill up.

Private prisons like to keep people in longer to make more money.

Most people in US prisons are harmless. Not saying most should not be there, but there are prison sentences that are mandatory minimum for petty, non-violent, drug offenders.

Still we must spread freedom and liberty around the world.

AntRobertson

That's quite a marked contrast. Particularly when you take into account China's less than sterling human rights record (jailing of 'dissidents' etc).

Jet Gorgon

US is likely highest in incarceration numbers coz the other countries just take the prisoners out and shoot them.

AntRobertson

Actually in 2007 the US was third* to only Saudi Arabia and Iran in numbers of people executed. And the highest number of executions by shooting was Afghanistan, a nation under the control of the US.

*Granted that's reported executions only though.

The Death Penalty Worldwide — Infoplease.com

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sabang

China's pretty no nonsense that way, although from memory thay execute about 8000 per year- pretty modest compared to the population. Dunno, sometimes I reckon, if you're gonna have capital punishment, you might as well get it over and done with. Bit cheeky of them to charge the family for the bullet though.

Jet Gorgon

^ Ya, if they tell them. I'm sure many prisoners are taken out back and beaten to death. No bullet.

About as transparent as Chinese corporate financial reports.

Texpat

Frankly, I'd rather have a criminal in a prison cell than as my neighbor.

I'm rather proud that the US is a lawful land where if you break a law, you stand a very good chance of going to jail. Perhaps countries that don't have such high incarceration rates are either cheap bastards or don't respect laws to the extent the US does.

AntRobertson

^^ I think the rule of thumb for corporate reports is to subtract a few zeros, for exectuions add a few.

blackgang

Does this bring a clearer view of the numbers in prisons??

Criminal Aliens




The criminal alien problem is growing.

Criminal aliens—non-citizens who commit crimes—are a growing threat to public safety and national security, as well as a drain on our scarce criminal justice resources. In 1980, our federal and state prisons housed fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens. By the end of 1999, these same prisons housed over 68,000 criminal aliens.1 Today, criminal aliens account for over 29 percent of prisoners in Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities and a higher share of all federal prison inmates.2 These prisoners represent the fastest growing segment of the federal prison population. Over the past five years, an average of more than 72,000 aliens have been arrested annually on drug charges alone. New issue paper.
Continued illegal immigration aggravates the problem.

Despite the Border Patrol making over one million apprehensions last year, they estimate they miss two or more illegal bordercrossers for every apprehension. Most enter for short periods, but there is an estimated net increase of about 300,000 a year from illegal bordercrossers who stay. An additional net increase of 200,000 comes from people who enter legally as nonimmigrants and then violate their status. Among the alien federal prisoners, over half (55 percent) were illegally in the United States at the time of their conviction.

FAIR: : Criminal Aliens

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Texpat

A million apprehensions. Plus two or more missed. That's 3 mil a year.

Why do so many people want to live in the US?

It's a horrible place! Just read through a few TD threads. An absolute pit.

*Edit*

OOps wrong smiley:

blackgang

Because there is no room in Thailand left, all the Europeans are here trying to scratch out a living on 1/2 or less pay because there is no jobs at home and they can not afford to retire for another 20 or 30 years.
Just about to crowd out the US expats that have came here to retire.

But with all the perverts and phedophyles TEFLers fucking things up for them, they gonna be out of a job here too soon..555