The US Has 5% Of The World's Population And 25% Of The World's Prisoners! Senator Al Franken

[FLAprogressive]

Run time: 08:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBtoQ18Nu0s   Posted on YouTube: November 18, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: November 18, 2009 By DU Member: FLAprogressive Views on DU: 1701

 

[tomm2thumbs]

1. interesting

although after reading how a woman was stoned to death for adultery, it makes me wonder if many people never make it to a prison or after a short stay, they are killed outright.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. I'd be interested in knowing where he is getting his facts..........

I'm writing a research paper with two other classmates about the prison industrial complex of creating more laws (most of them "bull$hit" laws) for people to break so they can be prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated in the prisons they build.

In the sources we found, the US was # 2 in the world with 756 per 100,000 incarcerated. Only USSR had a higher incarceration rate.

[C_Lawyer09]

3. Jim Webb Seems like he is really out in front

Of CJ/Incarceration reform. I read a really good in depth article by him on the subject. I really hope we make headway other than prison privatization. Most that had a hand in three strikes legislation know that it was severely misguided. Hope they fix that stuff and quit throwing the book at non-violent crimes.

[polichick]

12. If I remember correctly, the prez asked him to do a full report on the criminal justice system...

...which is due in 2010.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Two points.

1. Senator Franken was speaking toward total percentage of prisoners as compared to the world, not prison rate but even if he was speaking of prison rate we; seem to outstrip Russia and are number 1 in the world using that criteria.

2. If your sources list USSR, they may be outdated.

clhttp://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/law/research/icps/downloads/wppl-8th_41.pdf

More than 9.8 million people are held in penal
institutions throughout the world, mostly as pre-trial
detainees (remand prisoners) or as sentenced prisoners.
Almost half of these are in the United States (2.29m),
Russia (0.89m) or China (1.57m sentenced prisoners).
A further 850,000 are held in ‘administrative detention’
in China; if these are included the overall Chinese total
is over 2.4 million and the world total over 10.65 million.

c The United States has the highest prison population
rate in the world, 756 per 100,000 of the national
population, followed by Russia (629), Rwanda (604),
St Kitts & Nevis (588), Cuba (c.531), U.S. Virgin Is.
(512), British Virgin Is. (488), Palau (478), Belarus (468),
Belize (455), Bahamas (422), Georgia (415), American
Samoa (410), Grenada (408) and Anguilla (401).
c Almost three fifths of countries (59%) have rates below
150 per 100,000.

c The world population in 2008 is estimated at 6,750
million (United Nations); set against a world prison
population of 9.8 million this produces a world prison
population rate of 145 per 100,000 (158 per 100,000 if
set against a world prison population of 10.65 million).
c Prison population rates vary considerably between
different regions of the world, and between different
parts of the same continent.

For example:

• in Africa the median rate for western African countries is
35 whereas for southern African countries it is 231;

• in the Americas the median rate for south American
countries is 154 whereas for Caribbean countries it
is 324.5;

• in Asia the median rate for south central Asian countries
(mainly the Indian sub-continent) is 53 whereas for
(ex‑Soviet) central Asian countries it is 184;

• in Europe the median rate for southern and western
European countries is 95 whereas for the countries
spanning Europe and Asia (e.g. Russia & Turkey) it
is 229.

• in Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) the
median rate is 102.5.

c Prison populations are growing in many parts of the
world. Updated information on countries included in
previous editions of the World Prison Population List
shows that prison populations have risen in 71% of
these countries (in 64% of countries in Africa, 83% in
the Americas, 76% in Asia, 68% in Europe and 60%
in Oceania).

<snip>

[izquierdista]

16. We're #1, we're #1!

I think your data is a little bit old (especially since there is no more USSR), and the rate is now over 1% of the population.

[democracy1st]

4. K & R

[JDPriestly]

5. Franken is doing a great job on the Judiciary Committee in

representing ordinary Americans and presenting issues in a way that everyone can understand. He is turning out to be a great senator just as we knew he would.

[SF342]

6. I hope....

Senator Frankens social conscience rubs off onto his colleagues....I see good things coming from this man.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. WOO-HOO! Land of the free, baby!

:grr:

[mucifer]

8. I hope they can make a difference. It's very sad what happens especially with

non violent drug offenses and with the discrepancies with regards to race in the sentancing.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

9. Al Franken just never stops impressing me...

and I think it's very telling that the Republicans fought so hard to prevent him from him from being elected. Now he's kickin' so much ass they'll never be rid of him.
Unless his plane crashes.

[Douglas Carpenter]

10. kick and recommend

[ensho]

11. kick

nt

[hmorehead]

13. Yessir, liking Sen Franken alot more than comedian Al Franken.

[mucifer]

14. Kick for prison reform!

[axollot]

17. The US has the highest incarceration per head, per capita in the world

I guess we ARE #1 in something! It's always perplexed me about the US - having such a large prison population but claiming we are the most free! There is a lot of small/petty stuff that our Western cousins do not incarcerate for where we do, but that cannot be all of it!
Cheers
Sandy