THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, February 28th 2008, 8:43 PM

NEW YORK - For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars.


Using state-by-state data, the report says 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison at the start of 2008 - one out of every 99.1 adults. Whether per capita or in raw numbers, it's more than any other nation.

I realize this story is nearly a month old, but I can't believe noone has brought it up, what do you think about this? What does it say about our "free country". Is this the smoking gun evidence that all the "nutjob" conspiracy theorist who rant and rave about US Govt Control are looking for?

Thoughts?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,28855,00.html

I heard this on the news a few weeks ago and found it pretty amazing - maybe sad more than amzing, though I guess you could say both.

I wouldn't really say it proves any conspiracy theories though. It just shows what a sad state of affairs we are in.

I mean think about it - 1 out of every 100? That adds up to say at least 10 people from everyones own little neighborhood. Probably more.

Now I can't remember where I heard it (meaing if it was a credible source or not), so I take it with a grain of salt at the moment, but I know I saw mention somewhere that eventually 1 out of every 10 Americans will be used to spy on their neighbors. Think about how crazy that would be! Then I'd say you got something for the conspiracy theorists.

Salaam (Peace)

This is a horrid development, and it is evidence of this nation's failure to offer solutions to our social problems. "Blow'em up" and "lock'em up" seem to be the cure all solutions to all our problems. We cannot lock up crime, only criminals. It is assumed that punishment for crime is the same thing as eliminating crime. The elements of crime cannot be removed by punitive action.

Prison & Repentance

It seems that jail and prison is a very big business here in the U.S.A. therefore I do not see there being less people there but more in the future. It really sad when you think about it because I am sure that more than half don't belong there in the first place. Perhaps they commited a small crime or pocessed a small amount of drugs most noteable marijana and off they go to jail. This sad affair should be looked into but like I said its a big business so no one will see into it.

That sounds reminiscent of the Nazi Gestapo when they relied on ordinary Germans snitching on their neighbours to limit dissent or any organised opposition to the party.

If the report on the number of adults in prison in the US is true, that appears a shockingly high percentage. Let's hope the hundreds of FEMA... um... ‘refugee’ camps I read about, do not also in future, shall we say, take on Nazi precedent of sorts, lest the numbers get a lot higher.

Just like war. It's amazing when you see how companies actually make tons of money off of it.

They're trying to build a prison
They're trying to build a prison

Following the rights movement
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids
Following the rights movement
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids

I buy my crack, my smack, my b**** right here in hollywood

(nearly 2 million americans are
incarcerated in the prison system
prison system of the US)

They're trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in!)
Another prison system
(For you and me!)

Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
you don't even flinch
all our taxes paying for your wars
against the new non-rich
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
you don't even flinch
all our taxes paying for your wars
against the new non-rich

I buy my crack, my smack, my b**** right here in hollywood

The percentage of americans in the prison system
prison system, has doubled since 1985

They're trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in!)
Another prison system
For you and I, For you and I, For you and I.
They're trying to build a prison
For you and me
Oh baby, you and me.

All research and successful drug policy show
that treatment should be increased
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimun sentences
All research and successful drug policy show
that treatment should be increased
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimun sentences

Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world
drugs are now your global policy now you police the globe

I buy my crack, my smack, my b**** right here in hollywood

Drug money is used to rig elections
and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators
around the world

They're trying to build a prison
(For you and me to live in!)
Another prison system
(For you and me!)
For you and I, for you and I, for you and I
For you and I
They're trying to build a prison
for you and me
oh baby, you and me


Hopefully you've all listened... but did you HEAR?

Here they are only talking about adults....I'd be interested to know the percentage of those under 18, that are in correctional facilities also.......The sad part is that with the overcrowdiing, these inmates serve minimal time and are released....

Prisons are a privatized industry. Blood money flows through Wall Street, and the more people convicted of crimes and kept in prisons, the more money they make.

Millions of people are in prison for non-violent offenses, doing big time like 20 years and such.

There is no real interest in actually reforming and educating inmates, rather - there is a bigger push to dehumanize them. Men go in there as simple petty thieves or drug addicts and come out as real parasites to society.

Also, racism is reinforced in prison. The idea that whites and blacks and latinos separated themselves willingly is might be slightly true.. But the prison system uses it as an advantage for order, when they could just as well mix the blacks and whites and latinos together and teach them tolerance.

The issue of race does indeed seem pertinent. According to Human Rights Watch , "African-Americans" make up about 44% of the prison population nationaly. In the District of Columbia, this rises to almost 93%.

The figures for Hispanics are lower, but still higher than those for white Americans.

Curious....

Meow Purr.

Of course it could also be that American society has degraded to the point that the citizenry is finally paying for their excesses.

In the 50's, American society was all about following the status quo.

The 60's had the birth of the real individual rights movement. We had the sexual revolution and counter-culture becoming the norm.

The 70's showed the US society get used to the newfound freedom - and you could almost hear a collective inhale - all in preparation for...

The 80's, where fiscal excess was taken to new highs (lows). It was all about the individual - rules be damned - anything goes.

The 90's saw society continue along the slope - enjoying whatever they wanted. It slowly... slllooooooowwwwllllyyy began to shift.

By the time 2000 came along, we realized that we've moved so far down the "Whatever" paradigm that we, as a society, became sick of it. We had rules and laws on the books that weren't being enforced because of people's belief that their individual right to do whatever they wanted trumped the societal rules that we, as a society, had put in place to keep order and discipline. We, the core of society, realized that we - as a society - had failed in our charge to protect our way of life.

A 1% population in prison isn't surprising in America - considering the direction in which we have been going. Within a few years, as people remember that they are part of a society - instead of a huge mob of individuals - the number will go down.

That's one of the things I've seen here... a huge number of people that believe that they are part of a team of ONE (read: themselves alone)... and they rail against the fractured groups that try to hold it all together. Does it come as any surprise that the solitary ideal runs afoul of societal rules?

this is more proof France sucks, because.....WE'RE #1! AMERICA RULEZ!!!!!! WOOOO WHOOO for the red, white and blue!!!

If anyone tries to incarcerate more people then us, we should bomb them back to the stone age.