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Old 06-14-2009, 02:02 PM
 
1,310 posts, read 3,044,882 times
Reputation: 589

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Rank Countries Amount
# 1 United States: 48.029 per 1,000 people
# 2 Finland: 31.6349 per 1,000 people
# 3 New Zealand: 31.059 per 1,000 people
# 4 Turkey: 29.5727 per 1,000 people
# 5 United Kingdom: 24.8958 per 1,000 people
# 6 Korea, South: 24.5982 per 1,000 people
# 7 Slovenia: 11.5251 per 1,000 people
# 8 Canada: 11.5125 per 1,000 people
# 9 Hungary: 11.1701 per 1,000 people
# 10 Netherlands: 10.7919 per 1,000 people
# 11 Croatia: 10.1168 per 1,000 people
# 12 Portugal: 10.0978 per 1,000 people
# 13 Czech Republic: 9.98438 per 1,000 people
# 14 Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 9.88753 per 1,000 people
# 15 Thailand: 8.91289 per 1,000 people
# 16 Estonia: 8.53488 per 1,000 people
# 17 Germany: 6.89863 per 1,000 people
# 18 Latvia: 6.66157 per 1,000 people
# 19 Belarus: 6.0199 per 1,000 people
# 20 Slovakia: 5.98472 per 1,000 people
# 21 Bulgaria: 5.82282 per 1,000 people
# 22 Zimbabwe: 4.51723 per 1,000 people
# 23 Kyrgyzstan: 4.15332 per 1,000 people
# 24 Hong Kong: 3.69532 per 1,000 people
# 25 Romania: 2.73896 per 1,000 people
# 26 Norway: 2.61463 per 1,000 people
# 27 Cyprus: 1.88429 per 1,000 people
# 28 Georgia: 1.48813 per 1,000 people
# 29 Japan: 1.14484 per 1,000 people
# 30 France: 0.893959 per 1,000 people
# 31 Mexico: 0.600021 per 1,000 people
# 32 Papua New Guinea: 0.187737 per 1,000 people
# 33 Zambia: 0.0222873 per 1,000 people

Quote: Weighted average: 10.5 per 1,000 peoplewow according to this mexico is a really safe place. ill inform my mexican friends they will be surprised.

Reply: Yes...i thought that was just a tad strange too , since our State Dept. has been suggesting(warning) Americans not to travel into Mexico for quite a few years now.
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Over Yonder
3,923 posts, read 3,638,944 times
Reputation: 3969
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVlover View Post
Im reading in the paper right now of this astounding statistic , according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice. I cant believe the statistic is that high ! What can we conclude about the moral degradation of our Nation , and why ? Further, have you graced the walls of Prison yet ? Thank you.
I too have seen statistics stating findings such as these. And your question about moral degradation is spot on. I feel we are an extremely morally decayed society. But I don't think that is the only reason so many will end up serving time. I believe the constantly increasing weight of the government on our shoulders and in our lives is part of what will cause these statistics to come to fruition. The constant tightening of law and punishments for those laws consequently insures far more inmates in the prison system. And you have to remember, inmates are good for business. More inmates gives good reason for tax hikes so that our state and federal governments can continue to keep us safe from the "underworld" All the while, we have mild mannered "criminals" sitting idle behind bars while they could be making a contribution to society. Now I am not talking about your rapists, murderers, pedophiles, etc. I am talking about John Smith who is serving 2 years for possession of a pound of marijuana. Or Mary Smith who is serving 3 to 6 months for driving to work while her license was expired. There are so many people needlessly locked away in our jails every year that it isn't funny. If a person does not pose a legitimate threat to society they should not be locked away on the tax payer's dime.

Now this is not to say we should do away with punishing those who do wrong. We just need to rethink justice and understand we could use these people and help these people at the same time by using their talents, whatever they may be, for the good of society. We have some programs in place today that offer the sort of punishment I am talking about, but they are few and the benefits of those programs do not come to the citizens or the inmate. It is wrong to pay a person seven cents an hour to do a job. That person should have a stake in the program just as everyone else does. I mean, they are the ones doing the work, they should reap some benefit in the end. That is where we would be helping them as well as ourselves. We need to re-evaluate the penal system while simultaneously putting a yoke on the way our government makes and changes law.

Of course, I am just a man with ideas and opinions like the rest of you. Some of you will agree with the things I have said while others will stick to the other side of the argument. That is just how it is. But atleast I have put my thoughts out there, and maybe others do feel the same. Either way, I think we could all agree our justice system could use an overhaul.
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:14 PM
 
18 posts, read 59,478 times
Reputation: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVlover View Post
Thank you for your humility in sharing this ; I assume you are now in society full time and due to your prison experience, and now see the value in striving to be a model U.S. Citizen (?) . Im sure it was an extremely difficult lesson to learn, but I suspect you are an alot better person .
RVLOver, thanks for the laugh...he WORKED in a prison. ROFLMAO.

Part of why the US has such a high prison population is because 1) the system is basically unfair and unequal, 2) the US prison system has been privatized for profit.

Prison population increased exponentially after Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon intentionally created the false myth of the "urban Black male super-predator" to decimate African_American communities who were becoming more empowered at the peak of the civil rights movement.
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:48 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,764,762 times
Reputation: 36643
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVlover View Post
I think it would go a long way if our spineless Government were to revise some Constitutional 'Rights' to where they can step in and make our out of control Immoral Media refrain from glamorizing violence, sexual hedonism, adultery, and an array of other deviant perversions . A Moral Czar as a branch of the U.S. Government sounds like a good idea to me, except it would collapse the Government in on itself !
MSNBC, the right's poster child of out-of-control liberalism, runs documentaries every night glamorizing police and prison brutality and injustice. Isn't that a step in the right direction? From the people you least expected to be your allies?

Do you really want a Constitutional amendment giving the Obama government the right to censor the media and decide what is suitable for the American people to see? Be careful what you wish for.

We just got rid of several "Moral Czars"---Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove.
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,764,762 times
Reputation: 36643
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948 View Post
wow according to this mexico is a really safe place. ill inform my mexican friends they will be surprised.
I feel a lot safer in Mexico than I do in the US.

The US State Department currently has travel warnings out for 29 countries. Mexico is not one of them. Mexico is one of four countries for which there is a temporary travel alert (since February) , specifically addressing several border cities and the state of Chiapas.

What would we do without the State Department Warnings:

CRIME: Although Canada generally has a lower crime rate than the U.S., violent crimes do occur throughout the country, especially in urban areas. Visitors to large cities should be aware that parked cars are regularly targeted for opportunistic smash-and-grab thefts, and they are cautioned to avoid leaving any possessions unattended in a vehicle, even in the trunk. Due to the high incidence of such crimes, motorists in Montreal, Vancouver and some other jurisdictions can be fined for leaving their car doors unlocked or for leaving valuables in view. Auto theft in Montreal and Vancouver, including theft of motor homes and recreational vehicles, may even occur in patrolled and apparently secure parking lots and decks. SUVs appear to be the particular targets of organized theft. While Canadian gun control laws are much stricter than those of the U.S., such laws have not prevented gun-related violence in certain areas

Last edited by jtur88; 06-14-2009 at 03:12 PM..
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Old 06-14-2009, 04:45 PM
 
1,310 posts, read 3,044,882 times
Reputation: 589
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reads2MUCH View Post
I too have seen statistics stating findings such as these. And your question about moral degradation is spot on. I feel we are an extremely morally decayed society. But I don't think that is the only reason so many will end up serving time. I believe the constantly increasing weight of the government on our shoulders and in our lives is part of what will cause these statistics to come to fruition. The constant tightening of law and punishments for those laws consequently insures far more inmates in the prison system. And you have to remember, inmates are good for business. More inmates gives good reason for tax hikes so that our state and federal governments can continue to keep us safe from the "underworld" All the while, we have mild mannered "criminals" sitting idle behind bars while they could be making a contribution to society. Now I am not talking about your rapists, murderers, pedophiles, etc. I am talking about John Smith who is serving 2 years for possession of a pound of marijuana. Or Mary Smith who is serving 3 to 6 months for driving to work while her license was expired. There are so many people needlessly locked away in our jails every year that it isn't funny. If a person does not pose a legitimate threat to society they should not be locked away on the tax payer's dime.

Now this is not to say we should do away with punishing those who do wrong. We just need to rethink justice and understand we could use these people and help these people at the same time by using their talents, whatever they may be, for the good of society. We have some programs in place today that offer the sort of punishment I am talking about, but they are few and the benefits of those programs do not come to the citizens or the inmate. It is wrong to pay a person seven cents an hour to do a job. That person should have a stake in the program just as everyone else does. I mean, they are the ones doing the work, they should reap some benefit in the end. That is where we would be helping them as well as ourselves. We need to re-evaluate the penal system while simultaneously putting a yoke on the way our government makes and changes law.

Of course, I am just a man with ideas and opinions like the rest of you. Some of you will agree with the things I have said while others will stick to the other side of the argument. That is just how it is. But atleast I have put my thoughts out there, and maybe others do feel the same. Either way, I think we could all agree our justice system could use an overhaul.
Yes, i must agree with that ; here in northern Florida where i reside, they make good use of 'John and Mary Smith' by having them do a variety of light road repairs , highway cleanup, etc.. while under supervision.

I might reiterate , that, the statistic of 1 in 15 Americans...represents the number WHO WILL SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE spend time in a Federal or State Prison ; it does not represent the current rate of the incarcerated .
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Old 06-14-2009, 05:01 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,579 posts, read 86,764,762 times
Reputation: 36643
Quote:
Originally Posted by RVlover View Post

I might reiterate , that, the statistic of 1 in 15 Americans...represents the number WHO WILL SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE spend time in a Federal or State Prison ; it does not represent the current rate of the incarcerated .
But they are still all the same people. One out of seven of us. The only distinction is whether they are inside or outside at the moment.
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Old 06-14-2009, 05:04 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,253,323 times
Reputation: 55556
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
The OP did not provide a link, but this may be what he was reading:

ISS - THE AMERICAN LOCKDOWN: Is prison reform on the horizon? (http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/06/post-18.html - broken link)

The source states that one out of 31 American adults is behind bars or on parole or probation. Since a huge majority of those are men, it is probably correct that one out of 17 adult males is currently under judicial restraint. Those are probably outnumbered by those who are not, but once were or will be. In realiity, it is probably fair to say that at least ten percent of all American males will serve time during their lifetimes.

Which, by extension, implies that one out of ten children has a father who will serve time. Two or three kids in every classroom. What is the psychological and emotional effect on these children, and how will they fare as members of our society at some future date?

I can hardly wait until Monday, when all the posters who "work hard for what they have" (which liberals are stealing from them) return to their office computers and start remiding us about how all those prisoners deserve what they get (as do their children), for their failure to take responsibility for their own lives.
just read it. the article say 1 in 31 that is 1/2 of what the OP says.
1 in 31 i can believe 1 in 15 is a stretch. how bout 1 in 10 AA young man is in the slammer that is more accurate i think.
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Old 06-14-2009, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Sin City
723 posts, read 1,631,629 times
Reputation: 596
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41 View Post
Imagine what the statistics would show if all the real criminals (Cops and Politicians) would actually get prosecuted for the crimes they commit against humanity on a daily basis?

Sure would be a better safer world to live in............
....and actors, and musicians, and professional athletes,...ect

Quote:
Originally Posted by nitokenshi View Post
how many people are in prison for non violent drug offenses?

I think those people make up a large percentage of the prison population.
..and also the innocent ones who could not afford capable legal representation.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:07 PM
 
1,310 posts, read 3,044,882 times
Reputation: 589
'

Originally Posted by RVlover

I might reiterate , that, the statistic of 1 in 15 Americans...represents the number WHO WILL SOMETIME IN THEIR LIFE spend time in a Federal or State Prison ; it does not represent the current rate of the incarcerated .

But they are still all the same people. One out of seven of us. The only distinction is whether they are inside or outside at the moment' Quote.

I dont know if the 1 in 15 statistic , represents those already incarcerated or if it refers to only those who are currently not incarcerated at the time the statistic was released by the U.S. Dept. of Justice. It might have been a future projection based on the current jailed population and taking into account U.S. population growth rates and crime trends.
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