Why does the United States have the largest prison population in the world ?

[the other mike]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

 

[Crixus]

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like in there when you put someone away for 5, 10, 20 years or more, we would put an end to this mass incarceration. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

A big part is because we are so far away on our criminals. Other countries tend to kill them.

 

[Wyatt earp]

Probably because the USA has the most lawyers...



.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

The answer, of course, is racism. Do we really need an excuse to incarcerate our innocent black and hispanic population?

 

[Crepitus]

Probably because the USA has the most lawyers...



.

A very real possibility.

 

[Crepitus]

A big reason is somebody found a way to get rich doing it

 

[the other mike]

The answer, of course, is racism. Do we really need an excuse to incarcerate our innocent black and hispanic population?

Flood the streets with drugs and guns, then lock them up with felonies so when they get out they can't vote or get a decent job and 70 percent wind up back inside.

 

[progressive hunter]

The answer, of course, is racism. Do we really need an excuse to incarcerate our innocent black and hispanic population?

there are no innocent blacks, browns or white in prison,,,

 

[Wyatt earp]

Probably because the USA has the most lawyers...



.

A very real possibility.

Too Many Lawyers: The Legal Profession Needs A Cull



How the Fuck Are There Too Many Lawyers?
Alright, so a while back I wrote in a post about how there were approximately 1,315,000 licensed and practicing attorneys in the United States. There are roughly 321,400,000 people in general in the United States. That comes out to about 1 lawyer for every 244 people in the United States. That means that when you’re in a crowded theater, you’re guaranteed to be sitting in a room with at least 1-3 lawyers, depending on the size of the venue. If someone trips down the stairs at a 30,000 stadium from a little too much beer, 122 lawyers could come rushing out the woodwork to hand out business cards.

 

[beautress]

Why does the United States have the largest prison population in the world ?
Because when you have a free nation, some people abuse freedom of other people, which was not what was meant by the framers.

 

[Maxdeath]

Considering that we have a large diverse population. Considering we have one of the few countries that allows as many freedoms. It is a wonder we do not have more crime then we do.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

The answer, of course, is racism. Do we really need an excuse to incarcerate our innocent black and hispanic population?

there are no innocent blacks, browns or white in prison,,,

99.5% true, I believe. We have a large prison population for two reasons.
1) An ethnically diverse population
2) The rule of law

 

[ColonelAngus]

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like in there when you put someone away for 5, 10, 20 years or more, we would put an end to this mass incarceration. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

A big part is because we are so far away on our criminals. Other countries tend to kill them.

I was going to reply the same thing.

 

[Disir]

Lucky for you, we are living in a time when there have been drastic cuts to incarcerating people. Technically, the message has been sent that there are no consequences to actions. How cool is that?

 

[rightwinger]

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like in there when you put someone away for 5, 10, 20 years or more, we would put an end to this mass incarceration. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

A big part is because we are so far away on our criminals. Other countries tend to kill them.

We are one of the few countries that kill them

 

[jc456]

The answer, of course, is racism. Do we really need an excuse to incarcerate our innocent black and hispanic population?

Innocent.

 

[leftwinger]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

I've been in a CA county jail, 12 day sentence. Best vacation of my life. 6 days in.....time off good behavior.

That said......to do years? Uh...no thanks.

Many in there are very slow learners......in-out of jail many times.

 

[jc456]

Why does the United States have the largest prison population in the world ?
Because when you have a free nation, some people abuse freedom of other people, which was not what was meant by the framers.

Actually, we are a forgiving society. We don’t kill those who truly deserve death, but instead kill babies

 

[Jitss617]

I’m
Going to jail this week for 6 years.. and I’m white

 

[Crixus]

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like in there when you put someone away for 5, 10, 20 years or more, we would put an end to this mass incarceration. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

A big part is because we are so far away on our criminals. Other countries tend to kill them.

We are one of the few countries that kill them

Lol, okay.