America: The Gulag Nation
Let it Begin here has the story of how America is becoming a Gulag nation. The latest figures released by the Government show 2.1 million people in jails and prisons.
Any time you hear America is a democracy, where citizens have rights, remember that prisons represent our 35th largest state. We have more people in prison than live in Nevada, West Virginia, New Mexico, Nebraska, Maine, Idaho, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, or Wyoming.
America now is the greatest jailer on earth. We imprison 715 out of every 100,000 citizens, the highest number on the planet. By contrast, Canada's rate of incarceration is 116 out of 100,000, China's is 119 per 100,000 and Germany is 96 per 100,000. Our rate of imprisoning our citizens is approximately 600% higher than either China or Canada.
Racially, things are even worse. In historical perspective, the 899,000 African Americans incarcerated today are nine times the number of 98,000 in 1954, the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. So there are now 900% more blacks in prison today than there were 50 years ago, while the black population has only doubled, or increased 100%.
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