One per cent of Americans now in jail

The industrial correctional complex has something to do with it, but I think there is an even deeper cause, one that even crosses racial and class boundaries.

America is obsessed with it criminals. It glorifies them, though not always intentionally, but it does. Think about it. The wild west, the endless movies of all the outlaws, more often then not portraying them more as misunderstood then anything. The obsession with the mafia, I think they made one or two movies about those guys. Gangster rap. Each on its own is harmless, and I wouldn't say any of my examples cause crime in and of themselves, but it does show something of an underlying mentality.

I mean look at something like high speed chases. They've made entire series about those (Most Extreme High Speed Case 27 ). Not only that but the attention given to the school shooters. The school shootings are horrible events and covering them is fine, but look at how much attention is given to the shooters themselves. I live in Canada and the Virginia Tech guy was plastered across the front page of every news paper. (Our media isn't influence by America at all )

It is an obessesion...

[edit on 3-3-2008 by Tenebrous]

Give people jobs that pay a living wage. Plain and simple.

The much simpler proposition to the immediate problem is to repeal mandatory minimum sentencing and end the use of prison as a punishment for nonviolent crimes & petty offenses like drug possession, which is what has led to these outrageous numbers in the first place.

Long-term imprisonment should be reserved for violent crimes and only the most serious property crimes.

[edit on 3/3/08 by xmotex]

reply to post by johnsky


I have had an honest desire for work since I turned in my shield last Summer. I am homeless now and ready to go jack someone for their money box.

I am all for teaching inmates real-world skills, but it does them no good if they can't be applied in the real world. This is the same paradox that led them to a life of crime in the first place. Flip burgers for a wage that won't even pay the rent in the most roach and rat infested slum, or flip baggies to kids from the suburbs and live large for a few years until you get hooked on your own product.

EDIT to add: Star for your post nonetheless!


[edit on 3/3/0808 by jackinthebox]

reply to post by Tenebrous


The American affinity for crime-culture does not correlate to the exponential growth of inmates in the past twenty-five years. Furthermore, a large part of that affinity, is the public's understanding about the injustices in our society. Is the man who steals to feed his family the hero or the villain?

I am all for teaching inmates real-world skills, but it does them no good if they can't be applied in the real world.

They do learn real-world skills.
They learn to be better (& generally more violent) criminals.

Thus ensuring plenty of fodder (& tax dollars) for the expanding and well-connected prison industry.

I'd like to think this is an unintended consequence of locking up so many nonviolent offenders with hardened thugs.

If I wasn't so cynical I might even believe that

Raise your hand if you think that anyone will make a substantial effort into improving this problem?

The system is doing exactly what it was set up to do. To fix it would essentially require complete collapse. The issues that lead to where we are now are tied to everything else going on in the country. There is no genuine concern for the people and no one who would ever be an electable candidate for president will ever change that.

I would love to hear someone give a real reason to hope for change, but I don't see it happening. No matter the numbers that you present, no matter how insane the war on drugs becomes, no one is going to change it. There is simply too much money involved.

It really is a shame.

reply to post by jackinthebox


I agree, researching the industrial corrections complex has shed new light for me on this, its very interesting, but someone still has to commit the crimes in the first place. The Us isn't the only only country which social injustices, in fact every country does. I would be interested what incarceration rates a country like Brazil has. And in Canada it is even harder to get by than the US. We have a much higher cost of living than the states, in terms of costs of basic necessities such as food. We have a couple of guys at my company who are here working from the states for a while, and although they are making $2 more an hour they say they have significantly less spending money than they did in the states. With the dollars damn near par, this shouldn't be the case. How come we don't have the same levels of incarceration?

[edit on 3-3-2008 by Tenebrous]