Scary Stats - 7.3 Million Americans in the U.S. Correction System

Currently in the United States...

• 1 in every 45 Americans is on parole or probation
• 1 in every 100 Americans is in jail or prison
• 1 in every 11 African American adults is in jail or prison
• 1 in every 27 Hispanic American adults is in jail or prison
• 1 in every 45 White American adults is in jail or prison

Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia.

Dont do the crime if you cant do the time...

I know one guy who was on house arrest and probation but that's it. Those statistics are alarming, but what can we do about it? Build more YMCA's?

" Dont do the crime if you cant do the time... "

And 99% of people are religious in US jails.      Hides.

Those rates are alarming. :3 

I know too many criminals or duders with a bad habit of acting like criminals around here, but that's not america.
 
I say shoot em, make the world a happier place.

Most of my childhood friends are in jail now. Out of everyone I knew, only 3 of my childhood friends are not in jail for one reason or another. One of my closest childhood friends get out of jail in February.

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "

I think when you have THAT many people in the correction system, the issue is with the strictness of the law and not necessarily with the general population. 

The weird thing about that statistic is that the crime rate has actually decreased.

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "

Not surprised by those statistics, honestly.

" How about non-violent drug offenders??  In 2009 the goverment incarcerated around 250,000 non violent offenders for drugs.    Now, given that the US has the most prisons in the world and that we have, at one time or another, about 20% of the population of the US in prison, doesent it stand to maybe focus all that time and, most importantly, money on education and rehab rather than have them in jail and be a burden on the economy?  Just 1 regular inmate with no medical issues will cost the goverment around $100,000 annually, that price tag is even higher if the inmate is in a Federal prison or a state run Supermax prison for the most dangerous offenders.    Put this up aginst a country like, say, the Netherlands.  They have legalized, taxed and regulated, all drugs in their country and the crime rate, both violent and non-violent, went down dramaticly.  So much so that they are closing prisons there and are taking prisoners from Belgium to fill up the remaing prisons.  Put in simpler terms, the Netherlands have run out of criminals. "

" I know too many criminals or duders with a bad habit of acting like criminals around here, but that's not america.  I say shoot em, make the world a happier place. "

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "this is true

" @goth_bacon said:

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "this is true

This is true. Although the US might have a higher ration of imprisonment but I wonder if that takes into account countries that don't bother with the whole prison thing and just skip right to the death by stoning thing. "

" That's after Florida released all of theirs? "

" @goth_bacon said:

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "this is true

This is true. Although the US might have a higher ration of imprisonment but I wonder if that takes into account countries that don't bother with the whole prison thing and just skip right to the death by stoning thing. "

" @TheDudeOfGaming said:

" Dont do the crime if you cant do the time... "

Obviously they can do the time, so let's just go with "Don't do the crime." "

" @TaliciaDragonsong said:

" I know too many criminals or duders with a bad habit of acting like criminals around here, but that's not america.  I say shoot em, make the world a happier place. "

Hells yeah! Fuck proportionality! Any notion of fairness can go eat a dick! Retributive justice? Not in MY AMERICA!  "

So many damn people. I wonder how much tax money it takes to take care of all those people.

" @beej said:

" @TaliciaDragonsong said:

" I know too many criminals or duders with a bad habit of acting like criminals around here, but that's not america.  I say shoot em, make the world a happier place. "

Hells yeah! Fuck proportionality! Any notion of fairness can go eat a dick! Retributive justice? Not in MY AMERICA!  "

Took your meds yet or are you always this much fun to be around?^^ "

1 in every 11 African American adult is in jail? Damn!

" And 99% of people are religious in US jails.      Hides. "

" @mazik765 said:

" @goth_bacon said:

" Yes that's a problem.  But at least we don't kill people for witchcraft like Saudi Arabia. "this is true

This is true. Although the US might have a higher ration of imprisonment but I wonder if that takes into account countries that don't bother with the whole prison thing and just skip right to the death by stoning thing. "

What does that have to do with the statistics posted? "

" @Chabbs0 said:

" And 99% of people are religious in US jails.      Hides. "

Huh? "

And my supervisor at the pizza joint where I work just joined them. Shame.

" @TaliciaDragonsong said:

" I know too many criminals or duders with a bad habit of acting like criminals around here, but that's not america.  I say shoot em, make the world a happier place. "

Hells yeah! Fuck proportionality! Any notion of fairness can go eat a dick! Retributive justice? Not in MY AMERICA!  "

You guys have something like 7000 under 18 year olds on life without parole.
 
Edit: Not Death row.

"You guys have something like 7000 under 18 year olds on death row, I thought that was pretty crazy. "

I'm surprised it wasn't higher...

I'm the only guilty man in Shawshank!^^

Hope these statistics are shocking to those of you who are unfamiliar with the state of the prisons in the U.S. 
 http://bit.ly/bKVUM
 For those to lazy too click it, it basically says that 758 out of every 100,000 people is locked up at any one time, and for those
who think that's a small number you should note that the U.S. surpassed the Soviet Union's incarceration rates in '98
 http://www.mediastudy.com/articles/incarceration.html

What the hell... that's around 1/5 of Canada's population. So in Canada, 1 of every 5 people you know would be in jail if that statistic was ours :P

" @l4wd0g: I'm not arguing the merits of the death penalty, I'm arguing that there isn't any merit to shooting all criminals. "

" @beej said:

" @l4wd0g: I'm not arguing the merits of the death penalty, I'm arguing that there isn't any merit to shooting all criminals. "

I know. I was just saying the punishment should fit the crime.   The Charles Manson thing I was just throwing that subject out there for discussion. "

" I think when you have THAT many people in the correction system, the issue is with the strictness of the law and not necessarily with the general population.  "

" @l4wd0g said:

IThe Charles Manson thing I was just throwing that subject out there for discussion. "

The death penalty should never be used in any civilized nation. Why? We already know there have been innocent people MURDERED by the state (further supported by members of the public). Therefore by death penalty standards, anyone who helped in the murder of those innocents should also be put to death. The death penalty is paradoxical and completely nonsensical because the fact also remains that it hasn't decreased crime rates at all. Additionally, the death penalty only further propagates the problem that many modern day legal systems are just euphemistic forms of vengeance. I'm sorry, but we should be addressing the root of the problem and that is: Why are these crimes being committed in the first place and how can we prevent them from occurring? "

" @RsistncE said:

" @l4wd0g said:

IThe Charles Manson thing I was just throwing that subject out there for discussion. "

The death penalty should never be used in any civilized nation. Why? We already know there have been innocent people MURDERED by the state (further supported by members of the public). Therefore by death penalty standards, anyone who helped in the murder of those innocents should also be put to death. The death penalty is paradoxical and completely nonsensical because the fact also remains that it hasn't decreased crime rates at all. Additionally, the death penalty only further propagates the problem that many modern day legal systems are just euphemistic forms of vengeance. I'm sorry, but we should be addressing the root of the problem and that is: Why are these crimes being committed in the first place and how can we prevent them from occurring? "

Umm... I don't know if I should touch this or not.   Ehh screw it.   So, if i believe in the death penalty I'm uncivilized? That seems to be what your first sentence is saying.   There is a difference between killing and murder. Murder is unlawful killing of a person.  Killing is to deprive someone of life. Killing is also considered to be lawful.  Soldiers who die in combat are killed. Diseases kill. Murderers murder. Make sense?   Yes, I'm sure the system has put innocent people to death. It's unfortunate. However, they still went through due process and multiple appeals.   The death penalty is a deterrent for rational people. However, not everyone is rational when the commit a crime worthy of the death penalty.  The potential for negative consequences deters some behavior. The possibility of being executed does not contradict this.    Why are crimes being committed? Simple answer is that we're human.  We're not perfect. We're selfish. We give ourselves completely over to lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, wraith, envy, and the most damning,  pride. Sometimes those things will damn us and destroy our lives.  If you're relgious or not, it doesn't matter, when something completely consumes you, you are lost. "