US Becomes History's Biggest Jailer
The US reached a ghastly milestone on February 15, according to the Justice
Policy Institute, a nonprofit research group that advocates alternatives to
incarceration..
On that date, the
US prison and jail population reached a record 2 million persons.
More than half of those imprisoned are nonviolent offenders. And the
largest single category of prisoners are drug law violators.
The US comprises 5% of the world's population, yet has fully 25% of the
world's prisoners. According to the November Coalition, a drug law reform
group, the US has a higher proportion of its citizens in jail than any
other country -- in all of history.
The Libertarian Party, in a media release, pointed out the following:
- In 1970, fewer than 200,000 Americans were behind bars. By
contrast, in the 1990s alone, 840,000 Americans were sent to prison.
- Over the past two decades, one new jail or prison has been
built in America every week.
- Violent crime has dropped by 21% since 1993 -- but the number
of Americans being incarcerated has grown by 5%-6% each year since
then.
- Less than a third of the people sentenced to jail each year
have been convicted of a violent crime, and at least 400,000 inmates
are serving time for non-violent drug offenses alone.
- By one estimate, as many as 750,000 people are in jail for
victimless crimes -- like gambling, violating censorship laws, not
wearing a seatbelt, or consensual sex.
- The cost of keeping 2 million prisoners behind bars is $40
billion a year -- or about $20,000 for every man, woman, and teenager
serving time.
- 30% of all African-American males will be sent to prison at
some point during their lives. A major reason for this: While only 15%
of all drug users are black, 74% of the people in prison for drug
crimes are black, according to government statistics.
As a result of the Drug War, prison has become one of America's biggest
businesses. The multi-billion dollar prison industry employs more than
523,000 people, making it the US's single biggest employer after General
Motors. Some 5% of the population growth in rural areas between 1980 and
1990 was due to prisoners being moved into new rural jails.
(Sources: The Guardian [UK newspaper]; November Coalition; Justice Policy
Institute; Libertarian Party media release)
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