The Cold Hard Facts On Incarceration

The United States has been known to pride itself on what it thinks of as its uniquely efficient and humane prison system. Advocates of our policies of incarceration tend to compare our system to those of remote countries around the world in which people are locked up for the smallest of infractions, never to see the light of day again. However, the facts surrounding our prison system paint quite a different picture. On top of having the highest inmate population in the world, we also incarcerate African Americans at an incredibly disproportionate rate. The next time someone claims the greatness of our prison system, or even our criminal system in general, you might refer them to these cold hard facts.