1 in 100 adults now in prison -- baltimoresun.com Quote:
For the first time in U.S. history, more than one in every 100 adults are 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.
(...) The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.
The steadily growing inmate population "is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime," the report said. (...)
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OK, there's a strong streak of Old-Testament vindictiveness in the American mindset. Not to mention a mint to be made from prisons privatized by a crony-friendly government.
But my question is what's going to happen when the proportion of incarcerated population begins to outweigh the capacity to keep 'em behind bars. Only a matter of time.