It's just not healthcare where the US is at the wrong end of the scale.

[andrewducker]

A 2008 study found that more than 1 in 100 American adults are in prison or jail. One in every 31 adults (7.3 million) is in prison, or on parole or probation. One out every 45 whites is under some form of correctional control- and one out of every 11 blacks. 1 in 18 men and 1 in 89 women (races combined). Spending on corrections has risen by 400% in the last 20 years, outpacing all but Medicaid in growth.

From

Comments

[tanyad.livejournal.com]

You do realize that to black Americans, that bolded statistic isn't news right? Just curious as to why you bolded that and not the stats on whites, or on gender.

Not trying to pick a fight, just wondering why the emphasis there but nothing added about that emphasis.

[luckylove.livejournal.com]

Er, perhaps to make us think about it for ourselves. I'm neither American nor black but I did know that more blacks were in jail in the US. I didn't, however, know exactly how bad it was.

[andrewducker]

I just copied/pasted it, I didn't realise it would bring the bolded bit with.

[meico.livejournal.com]

Fucking hell. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was that bad or that it had changed so much since the 80's...

I think, at least in part, we can thank the existence of a true prison industrial complex (that, indeed, does actually lobby for stiffer sentencing laws just so they can make more prisons) for those statistics.

[undeadbydawn.livejournal.com]

need I refer you to System Of A Down's 'Prison Song'?

[undeadbydawn.livejournal.com]

also, I read somewhere recently that New Labour have invented a new crime every day since Tony Blair was elected PM. Which must be why I feel so much safer.

[darkoshi]

1 out of 11 includes males and females; the number for black males must be closer to 1 in 5.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm
"Based on current rates of first incarceration, an estimated 32% of black males will enter State or Federal prison during their lifetime, compared to 17% of Hispanic males and 5.9% of white males. "
Statistics from 2002.

[anef.livejournal.com]

That is fascinating. I was relieved to see that the UK was relatively far down the list, although higher than nearly all other European nations. And then I wondered where China was.