BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Crime 1% of All Americans in Jail

"Using updated state-by-state data, the report said 2,319,258 adults were held in U.S. prisons or jails at the start of 2008 -- one out of every 99.1 adults, and more than any other country in the world."

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Wow, that's astonishing!

I would suggest we, as a nation, start by clarifying who needs rehab vs. who needs incarceration.

So many people who need ~ treatment ~ or therapy are in jail.

IMHO - Prison should be for criminals who can't or wont be rehabilitated. And for certain heinous crimes.

I wonder if that statistic takes into consideration countries that are more likely to execute than incarcerate...

That's a very good question - how many people are "found guilty" each year in other places? If they just kill them off then it might seem like they have far less "bad people" long term ...

And yes prison seems like anti-rehabilitation in many ways because it puts the offenders in with other offenders where they can learn bad skills, traits, personalities, etc. I would be *terrified* if I was sent to prison. I would probably hide in a corner and have a breakdown.