Thursday, February 28, 2008

1 in 100 Americans in Prison/Jail

AP/MSNBC report 1 in 100 Americans behind bars, report finds: Prison spending ballooned from $11 billion to $49 billion in 2 decades which references The Pew Center on the States' recent report from their Public Safety Performance project. How can this be so? It's way more than I can fathom and yet I note the incarceration rates are much higher in the South than other regions. Surely race has to have something to do with this reality.

I love the following: “These sad facts reflect a very distorted set of national priorities,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, referring to the full report. “Perhaps, if we adequately invested in our children and in education, kids who now grow up to be criminals could become productive workers and taxpayers.” Amen Senator! If only more pols were willing to be like Bernie.

Reckon any of the candidates for President will dare talk about this problem or will they fear appearing "soft on crime"? John Gunn

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