Prison Population Continues to Soar

Prison Population Continues to Soar

1 of Every 9
Young Black Males Incarcerated

(Taylor Media Services)

According to a report released last Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, for the first time in history more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison. The report urges states to reduce soaring incarceration costs by devising alternative sentencing programs, especially for non-violent offenders.

The group bearing the greatest burden of the increased incarceration is young Black males between the ages of 20 and 34. The Pew report found that a startling 1 of every 9 African American males in that age group is in jail or prison. For the nation as a whole, 1 of 30 young men in the 20 to 34 age group is living behind bars. As of January 1st, there were 1,596,127 people in state and federal prisons and another 723,131 in local jails.

The United States incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world. Even though communist-led China has at least 4 times as many citizens as the United States, it has fewer of its citizens in jail or prison.