Good Magazine featured video called "Jailbirds" incite interesting questions. I question the the impetus behind the significant spike in the prison population. I don't have answers only questions.
There are approximately 2.3 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, "no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens." The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world's prison population, but only 5% of the world's people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports.
Could it be "privatization of prisons, federal deregulation, state prison budgets, corporate prison industry lobby pushing policies like the "three strikes" to generate shareholder wealth driving the shocking spike in the prison population? Does the contracting prisoners for work create additional prison cash flows that violate labor laws? Do those contracts cannibalize the employment rates in states? Is the system self sustaining as long as the flow of prisoners continue? The system feeds itself," says a study by the Progressive Labor Party, which accuses the prison industry of being "an imitation of Nazi Germany with respect to forced slave labor and concentration camps." The prison industry complex is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. Is this systemic of where this country has been led; Bush/Chaney business of war and security? Or is this where this country is going? If so, how can we change the impact on society? How can we change this?
