More Americans In Jail Than In Stalin's Gulag Archipelago

There are now more Americans in jail -- 6 million -- than there were in Stalin's Gulag, reports Fareed Zakaria, in a column called "Incarceration Nation."
And it's not just a relative population thing.
The U.S. has 760 prisoners per 100,000 citizens.
How does that compare to other countries?

It's 7X-10X as high:

Japan has 63 per 100,000,
Germany has 90 per 100,000
France has 96 per 100,000
South Korea has 97 per 100,000
­Britain has 153 per 100,000

www.businessinsider.com...

That is a lot of people in jail. It is truly disturbing as somebody is making money based on the amount of prisoners. Prison should never be for-profit organisations, it will only bring trouble, as somebody will start taking advantage of it.

Well unlike Stalin's Russia, our people know what sends them to prison and yet they still do it.

Perhaps you shouldn't blame the prison system.

Originally posted by Hopechest
Well unlike Stalin's Russia, our people know what sends them to prison and yet they still do it.

Perhaps you shouldn't blame the prison system.

So what are you saying? That there is more stupid criminals in the US than anywhere else in the world? That profit driven prisons are a good thing in the US?

It is a bit disturbing to me. Not sure what I think about it. It just seems that the US is jail crazy if there is a motive to jail people for even the smallest of offenses. Not condoning crime but I tend to get a little miffed at the idea when the sentences far outweigh the crime committed. Especially so when someone gets kickbacks for it.

Apparently crime does pay for some people...

Originally posted by Terminal1

Originally posted by Hopechest
Well unlike Stalin's Russia, our people know what sends them to prison and yet they still do it.

Perhaps you shouldn't blame the prison system.

So what are you saying? That there is more stupid criminals in the US than anywhere else in the world? That profit driven prisons are a good thing in the US?

It is a bit disturbing to me. Not sure what I think about it. It just seems that the US is jail crazy if there is a motive to jail people for even the smallest of offenses. Not condoning crime but I tend to get a little miffed at the idea when the sentences far outweigh the crime committed. Especially so when someone gets kickbacks for it.

Apparently crime does pay for some people...

What I'm saying is that people in the US know what will send them to prison yet they still commit those acts. In Russia you could have been sent to a gulag just for what family you belonged to.

Big difference.

I know I will never go to prison because I don't break the laws that would send me there. You may not agree with all the laws but regardless, you know what they are.

When society decided stupid # like this warranted law enforcement involvement we pretty much guaranteed America would become a prison nation:

A Dartmouth College student has been arrested after police say he tried to obtain nitrous oxide gas.
...
The 22-year-old senior was charged with attempt to commit inhaling toxic vapors of effect.

Read more: www.wmur.com... e6w

We can blame the prisons who profit, the moron cops who enforce garbage laws, the politicians who write garbage laws, the media who make every personal choice out to be the death knell of society and the neanderthal public who support garbage laws.

Every link in this chain of stupidity is at fault save one. The individual who harmed no one and nothing to do a thing that by all rights no one with any sense would have ever imagined was "against the law."

For the most part society has done away with sodomy laws for the same reasons that should have gotten thousands of other laws erased as well but for whatever reasons hasnt yet.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
When society decided stupid # like this warranted law enforcement involvement we pretty much guaranteed America would become a prison nation:

A Dartmouth College student has been arrested after police say he tried to obtain nitrous oxide gas.
...
The 22-year-old senior was charged with attempt to commit inhaling toxic vapors of effect.

Read more: www.wmur.com... e6w

We can blame the prisons who profit, the moron cops who enforce garbage laws, the politicians who write garbage laws, the media who make every personal choice out to be the death knell of society and the neanderthal public who support garbage laws.

Every link in this chain of stupidity is at fault save one. The individual who harmed no one and nothing to do a thing that by all rights no one with any sense would have ever imagined was "against the law."

For the most part society has done away with sodomy laws for the same reasons that should have gotten thousands of other laws erased as well but for whatever reasons hasnt yet.

You can always find examples like this but 99% of the people in prison are there for actual crimes.

The case you pointed out is not the norm.

Originally posted by Hopechest

What I'm saying is that people in the US know what will send them to prison yet they still commit those acts.

Not necessarily. Given all the laws state and federal I'd bet a hefty sum you have broken a couple over the years and never even gave it a second thought.

In a free society where there is no harm there is no reason to believe that any law is broken.

Originally posted by Hopechest

You can always find examples like this but 99% of the people in prison are there for actual crimes.

The case you pointed out is not the norm.

What's an actual crime?

According to this: Prison populations by crime looks like nearly half of those locked up havent harmed anyone.

Or maybe its just that our police force catches more people over here.

reply to post by Hopechest


Thank you for the response but I am not so sure anymore. You have people jailed and having to "prove" their innocence for merely filming anymore. Kids being felons for expanding science projects (according to a thread here).

The lines are geetting awful blurry.

I do have to admit that it is kind of easy to stay within the margins but the trend is that the margins are getting blurred. We even have evidence of a two tiered justice system, which is supposed to be blind.

Had my just recently passed uncle tell a story of him and another getting into a fight and when he went before a judge, the judge told them to calm it and if they were in front of him again he was gonna lock them up. That will not happen in todays justice system. Someone is going to jail and someone is gonna get paid for it. Judges now have guidelines which they must follow and law is not really for them to decide anymore.

To me.. this is disturbing.

US Judiciary system is just as bad as whatever in the other countries, except its masked by "you have the right to fight a losing battle".

If they want you in jail, you are going to jail.



Yes don't forget all the profit they gain from making(extending) prisoners stay longer and work

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere

Originally posted by Hopechest

You can always find examples like this but 99% of the people in prison are there for actual crimes.

The case you pointed out is not the norm.

What's an actual crime?

According to this: Prison populations by crime looks like nearly half of those locked up havent harmed anyone.

I believe most are in there for drugs.

Yes it doesn't harm anyone but the laws are fairly clear. I will never be arrested for drugs because I don't associate with them.

If you want to play the game in that arena then you know the consequences.

reply to post by Hopechest


It seems you're an authoritarian statist. That's fine. We're done here.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by Hopechest

 

It seems you're an authoritarian statist. That's fine. We're done here.

Not really.

I just don't blame the government for every single problem we have.

reply to post by Hopechest


Sure you are.

....and the neanderthal public who support garbage laws.

That's you. The government doesnt have to be blamed here. The government apparatus includes you. You who apparently support the stacking of non-crime and pre-crime laws onto the heads of the public.

If we all just went along with your line of thought "should have known it was illegal" nothing would ever change and we'd still be hanging witches.

Three companies at a tune of billions of dollars and growing are reaping record profits thanks to the tax payer and government practice of subsidized private prisons in the country

So reading that along will tell that is all about money, not about criminals.

Still one of their biggest money makers are ilegal immigrants detention centers.

The industry's giants — Corrections Corporation of America, The GEO Group, and Management and Training Corp. — have spent at least $45 million combined on campaign donations and lobbyists at the state and federal level in the last decade, the AP found.

CCA and GEO, who manage most private detention centers, insist they aren't trying to influence immigration policy to make more money, and their lobbying and campaign donations have been legal.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Private Prisons: The More Americans They Put Behind Bars The More Money They Make

How would you describe an industry that wants to put more Americans in prison and keep them there longer so that it can make more money? In America today, approximately 130,000 people are locked up in private prisons that are being run by for-profit companies, and that number is growing very rapidly. Overall, the U.S. has approximately 25 percent of the entire global prison population even though it only has 5 percent of the total global population.

theeconomiccollapseblog.com...

America has become no only the biggest capitalistic nation in the world but also the most corrupted one and all with govenrment approval as long as dirty lobbying money enrich the pockets of the dirt running the nation.

reply to post by Cabin


What do you mean, "someone will START taking advantage of it?"
I guess that you havent heard about that judge that was caught making deals with the owners of a private prison.
He was sentencing people to prison for offenses that would normally warrant a fine or probation.
Yep, he was caught and sentenced to 28 years..
Just think how many havent been caught though.

btw, in case your curious about that judge.. just google, "kids for cash scandal"

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by Hopechest

 

Sure you are.

....and the neanderthal public who support garbage laws.

That's you. The government doesnt have to be blamed here. The government apparatus includes you. You who apparently support the stacking of non-crime and pre-crime laws onto the heads of the public.

If we all just went along with your line of thought "should have known it was illegal" nothing would ever change and we'd still be hanging witches.

There are plenty of laws I don't agree with and I would love to change. That doesn't erase the fact that we know what they are.

You may not like certain drug laws but they are there and you will be sent to prison if you break them.

What you are doing is saying that laws are stupid and its the governments fault for prosecuting people who break them instead of going through the proper motions and changing the laws you don't like.

Very few people are sent to prison for something they didn't know was illegal.

reply to post by luciddream


True enough. The people they do catch are probably not the biggest problems on our streets in the first place.

The privatization of prisons is obviously a way for business and government officials to make money at the cost of the constituents. It motivates judges to wrongly incarcerate people, including children:
Cash for Kids

The second issue, incarcerating people for think and victimless crimes, is even more insidious. We should punish only the behavioral aspects that effect other people, not legislate best practices and morality. I see this as an extension of 'War on Terror' mentality of fear that got us to the place we are today. There are now so many laws, even the most obedient among us are sure to break one.