http://voices.yahoo.com/us-prison-population-largest-earth-2814625.html
Currently in the United States, 1 in every 31 adult persons is either in jail or prison or on parole or probation. That amounts to 7.3 million Americans and a cost that exceeds $68 billion annually. This figure does not include juveniles accountable to the U.S. correction system. According to Susan Urahn of the Pew Foundation, who commissioned the report, juveniles are a very small percentage of the overall correction system population, at less than 5 percent. The total number of U.S. citizens accountable to the American correction system is the highest in the world. It even exceeds the combined Soviet Union and China prison population during the height of their dominate Communist Regime. Are American citizens really that bad?
According to the Department of Justice, Bureau of Statistics web site between 1997 and 2005 violent crime dropped 22.5% and property crime dropped 22.7%. Between 2006 and 2007 violent crime increased 1.0% and property crime increased 2.7%. During this same period of time arrest and incarceration showed dramatic increases. The greatest percentages of arrest during this period were for consensual (victimless) crimes. An activity, currently illegal, in which no harm or damage to another person or individual's property occurs; such as recreational use of drugs, gambling, prostitution, pornography, drunk driving, and traffic violations.
The statistical breakdown of the U.S. correction system aggregation is as follows;
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
Black Americans account for slightly over 10% of the total U.S. population. They also account for nearly 50% of the total U. S. jail and prison population. Of the estimated 36,500,000 crimes reported annually in the U.S., Black American's are involved in less than 9% but have the highest conviction and incarceration rate annually of any other group. This evidences the unspoken rule within the U.S. justice system to hold minority American's accountable to a different code of justice than the majority population.
The average annual cost of caring and housing a prisoner in the U.S. is nearly $29,000. This is a 300% increase over the past 10 years and is out pacing every governmental agency spending cost except for Medicare. It is accounting for an average 6.7% of most states general fund expenditures. The incarceration of America has become big business and very expensive. Extrapolating the current rate of growth over the next 20 years, by 2030 nearly 15% of the U.S. population will be accountable to the American correction system. If that occurs, the FEMA prisons the conspiracy theorists have been talking about for years will become reality.
The land of the free and the home of the brave a prison colony, well that is one way to halt illegal alien immigration. I am sure when this information is translated into different languages it will force immigrants to rethink resettlement in America. The only way to truly halt this growth is to return to the original Bill of Rights and reinstitute Habeas Corpus. A crime is only committed when there has been injury to another person or property. Victimless consensual crime laws must be removed from the U.S. judicial code of laws.
When we as adults know the risk involved in a particular act and chose to proceed with it, it is our choice and that is our right. If in the commencing of that act one does not harm another's property or person or involve another who does not willingly wish to participate, that individual is operating under the law granted to them by GOD and the Bill of Rights. That individual has consented and consent is one of the most precious rights we have. Is it right that a government legislate away its citizen's rights to consent? As you can see here in America, such legislation creates a populace of criminals. Isn't time to halt the systematic criminalization of America?