19 June 2013 (14:19 UTC-07 Tango)/10 Sha’ban 1434/29 Khordad 1391/12 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the percentage of men with jobs had dropped to 88%, in 2012. There are several factors, but it seems there’s a correlation with the record breaking incarceration rates of men.
By the end of 2011 more than 2.2 million U.S. citizens, overwhelmingly men, were in prison. And of those released from prison at least half will be imprisoned again. That’s according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice (BoJ).
On top of that almost 5 million U.S. citizens are on parole, or some other form of ‘justice’ monitoring!
The BoJ also states that incarceration rates increased by 20 times from 1920 to 2006, even though the total U.S. population grew by only 2.8 times. This is clear evidence that there is some kind-o-conspiracy to put people in prison. Perhaps free labor for those corporate run for profit prisons?
“Louisiana is the world’s prison capital. The state imprisons more of its people, per head, than any of its U.S. counterparts. First among Americans means first in the world. Louisiana’s incarceration rate is nearly five times Iran’s, 13 times China’s and 20 times Germany’s. The hidden engine behind the state’s well-oiled prison machine is cold, hard cash. A majority of Louisiana inmates are housed in for-profit facilities, which must be supplied with a constant influx of human beings or a $182 million industry will go bankrupt.”–The Times-Picayune
In 2009, two county judges in Pennsylvania pled guilty to accepting bribes, in exchange for illegally imprisoning children, mostly boys, in for profit corporate prisons. It was called the Kids for Cash scandal.
An estimated 17% of federal prisoners are forced to work for UNICOR, aka Federal Prison Industries. They make between 23 cents to $1.15 per hour, and 50% of that income goes to court ordered payments!
According to Harvard sociology professor, Bruce Western, 1.2% of white men and 9% of black men born right after the end of the Second World War (1945) had been to prison. But when you look at men born just after 1975 the incarceration rates jump; 3.3% of white men and 20.7% of black men had been to prison!
Human Rights Watch says 56% of imprisoned people are mentally ill!
As of 2008, the official incarceration rate in the United States is 743 out of every 100,000 citizens.
The entire eastern half of the U.S., and the West Coast states, house the most prisoners.
Yes folks, the numbers are record breaking, and have made the United States of America the top country for imprisoning its own population, which, according to the propaganda we were told during the Cold War, is proof of an oppressive authoritarian regime!