We're #1!
Submitted by Sonagi92 on Sun, 2006-12-10 00:48. :: Things Non-China
Quote:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tough sentencing laws, record numbers of drug offenders and high crime rates have contributed to the United States having the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world, according to criminal justice experts.
A U.S. Justice Department report released on November 30 showed that a record 7 million people -- or one in every 32 American adults -- were behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of last year. Of the total, 2.2 million were in prison or jail.
Read the rest here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061209/ts_nm/usa_prisoners_dc
This story was given the title "US Has Most Prisoners Due to Tough Laws," which makes the large prison population seem like a positive outcome of a law and order society, not a "lock 'em up and throw away the key" expensive and ineffective band-aid solution to serious social problems.