Incarceration nation

Reason's Jacob Sullum makes two important points about a new study which shows more than 1% of the U.S. population behind bars:

1. In both per capita and absolute terms, the United States incarcerates more people than even China, according to the study. But the official figures from China should be taken with a massive grain of salt. (Also see this Straight Dope column on the subject.)

2. A disgracefully large number of people in American prisons are there because because of relatively minor drug offences:

If the U.S. were locking up more people than other countries simply because it had a higher crime rate, the number of prisoners in itself would not necessarily be cause for concern. The problem is that it is locking up many people for longer than is appropriate and many people who do not belong in prison at all, including nearly half a million drug offenders. When the government locks up people who are guilty only of consensual "crimes," it wastes scarce prison space that could be used to incapacitate predatory criminals, thereby compromising public safety rather than enhancing it.

Damian P.

Posted by damian at March 2, 2008 04:23 PM