US prison population hits 2.3 million all-time high

The Prison Industrial Complex is a sad symptom of a for-profit "justice" system that only applies to the poor.

Here's a link to some info about Senator Jim Webb and overhauling American prisons.

http://current.com/search.htm?s=on&v=on&r=off&context=&context_i...

Just curious....
Does anyone remember the issue of prison reform being talked about during the 2008 election? If so, please post a link!
I think this is 1 of the most important issues of our time & I find it very sad, that no one ever talks about!

This is pretty awful. But I don't know why I'm surprised. The poor are getting poorer and minority populations are growing. Prisons generate a lot of money and mandatory minimums make sure inmates have a good long stay.

Happy Holidays.

How many of these people are there because they got caught with one ounce of pot? This is a disgrace!

Some of these cop shows - especially the out of way suburbs. I saw one where they follow a shop-lifter, who didn't actually have any stolen stuff on him - and fifteen cop-cars pull up and stand around trying to look important, like real profeshiniles. Showing off for the camera, and everybody wants on tv, of course.

When they aren't smart enough to see the advertisement of wasting tax money.

why don"t they start handing out fines to people for non serious offences! Big deal the guy smoked a little weed. BOO HOO. How is that gonna hurt me> I think for petty theft under 100 dollars, a fine would be in order instead of wrecking a persons life for ever. We all did dumb things a time or too.. You don't think the economy has something to do with full jails, do you?

well at least most of the posters aren't surprised. Is it shocking that most of the people in prison are poor either... hmmm yea thats our system working at its best

They look like they're havin a marvelous time!

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_pri_per_cap-crime-prisoners-per-capita

Interesting...

Damn. Why is it that 2.3 million people find it difficult to stay out of prison?

One also has to consider that after the majority of state psychiatric facilities were closed, that most of the mentally ill ended up homeless or in prisons, often with brutal consequences.

Its ok the FEMA emergency camps will house the overflow of "criminals" and "terrorists"

This is business as usual for the United States. And none of this information should come as a shock to anyone when you consider that basis on which the US was founded.

hey America, hows the war on drugs working for ya? putting all of your citizens in prison, nice job. Allowing corporations to run private prisons and make billions of the destruction of the fabric of society, nice job once again.

Locking people up is a money maker - and this is America.

Prison dosnt seem like such a bad place to go with that many Peeps

Sad, sad, sad. President Obama has walked away from the issue. He does not want to spend the 'political capital', which we gave him by voting for him. Just another politician who cares more about corporate America than ordinary Americans. I'm sure the 'private prison industry' has a loud voice in Washington. Unfortunately, money talks in Washington. We won't be heard until they have wasted every tax dollar they get. Locking up people for cannabis is a waste of our tax dollars!

With all the stimulus money being spent, one would think they would come to their senses and start utilizing 'environmentally friendly hemp' for industry. But, money talks in Washington and corporate America is willing to spend big money to keep a 'natural environmentally friendly competitor' from getting to market. Facts be damned!

and unfortunatly, not one of those 2.3 million men and women are from the white house.
I bet most of them are in their for minor non violent offences such as marijuana possession, it's a sorry state this world we live in today.

What with the infamous "Patriot Act", the US has become a prison with some 300,000,000 inmates.

no duh, people would rather go to jail for free food and a place to sleep than work for it.

Interesting....it makes a statement on just how well our society is doing.

Remember all the politicians who said they would be tough on crime? They say these things because polls tell them it's good for getting elected. In reality, many of those who said such things were criminals themselves and look what's happened to our country in the last ten years. The Fox was watching the hen house.

The Bush / Republican era of manipulative "sound bites" oversimplifying a complex reality or completely misstating reality has subsided with the election of Barack Obama and the removal of Bush and the Republicans. Thank God!

What we must remember is that just because a guy or gal works for the judicial system or law enforcement doesn't mean they have a healthy moral compass, that is that they are any more honest than real criminals.

Those with a broken moral compass in our judicial system and legal system make criminals of honest people. It happens, all the time because the system is set up to prosecute people, not find truth and prosecutors are immune from illegal actions in the name of the law.

This is the failing of a pervasive undeveloped mentality which permeates the legal system. That the judicial system and law enforcement are allowed decade after decade to wrongfully arrest, incarcerate and prosecute and even put to death people without our elected officials stepping up and demanding a better system and checks and balances is evidence. Wasting so much of our resources in a manner which DOES NOT prevent or reduce crime, which only treats the symptoms of our society is wasteful and destructive and can only undermine the strength and stability of the United States, not the opposite.

Those politicians who claim and campaign they will be tough on crime are merely playing to the ignorance and naivety of people who haven't yet experienced the injustice too often dealt out by the "system" for personal gain.

Senator Jim Webb is supposed to be looking into the prison problem in America. Unfortunately, they plan to take 18 months. I haven't heard anything in a while. Maybe they have decided to ignore the problem instead? Private Prisons are now an industry in America. At least we excel in something, we are 'making criminals' out of ordinary Americans for consuming cannabis. I would much rather America would 'make environmentally friendly products' from hemp.

Prisons are big business now.