LOCK 'EM UP

America the Stockade

THE International Center for Prison Studies, part of King's College
in London, has published a new study of prisoners in various countries.

China, the world's most populous nation with nearly 1.3 billion
residents, has 1,548,498 people in cells, putting it second on the
worldwide list.

America, with 300 million people, has 2,186,230 locked up -- ranking
first by a wide margin.

Other nations in the top 10 of jail populations are: Russia,
869,814; Brazil, 361,402; India, 332,112; Mexico, 214,450; Ukraine,
165,716; Thailand, 164,443; South Africa, 157,402; and Iran 147,926.

The number of people in U.S. prisons exceeds the population of 15
different states, the King's College study points out. America's
incarceration rate is 737 people for every 100,000 residents. Russia
is second with 611.

The study quotes Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance: "The
United States has 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent
of the world's incarcerated population." That's a disgrace to America.

The percentage of black Americans in jail is higher than the ratio
of black South Africans confined under apartheid, the King's College
report notes. America incarcerates more people for drug offenses
than all Western Europe countries jail for all offenses, Nadelmann
points out. And Europe has much larger population.

Altogether, about 7 million Americans today are in jail, on
probation or on parole.

Why is America the world's biggest stockade, locking vastly more
people in cells? Is it because Americans are inherently more
criminal than citizens of other countries? Of course not. It's
because America has a harsh punishment mentality, probably inherited
from Puritan ancestors.

America's honor is stained by this dismal reality.