From Holden:

USA! USA! USA!

We have the largest prison system in the world, and it just keeps getting bigger according to the Department of Justice. A few figures:

Prison and jail population as of June 2004: 2,131,180 (an increase of 2.3 percent over 2003).

The United States’ incarceration rate per 100,000 of its population: 726 (the rate for England is 142 per 100,000, for France 91 and for Japan 58).

Percentage of Black Males behind bars: 12.6%.

Percentage of Hispanic Males behind bars: 3.6%.

Percentage of White Males behind bars: 1.7%.

Rate of increase in violent crime in the U.S. from 1994 to 2003: -33%.

Rate of increase in property crimes in the U.S. from 1994 to 2003: -23%.

Annual increase in the prison population since 1995: 3.5%.

Percentage of U. S. prisoners who return to prison within three years of their release (recidivism rate): 66.7%.

State that incarcerates the largest proportion of its population: Texas (704 per 100,000 people).

State that incarcerates the smallest proportion of its population: Maine (149 per 100,000).

Yee-haw!