Statistics on Incarceration in the United States

Key Points

• The United States has 5% of the world's population
• Despite this, it accounts for 25% of the world's prison population

Historical Perspective

• In 1972, the US had 300,000 prisoners
• Today, the number has risen to 2.3 million
• The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world

Current Concerns

• There is growing awareness of the need to downscale the prison system
• The system has become expensive and unmanageable
• However, many concerned about the costs and scale are reluctant to address the harm caused

Understanding History

• History is not random; it's shaped by decisions
• White people are products of historical choices made by their ancestors
• Black people are products of history they didn't choose

The 13th Amendment

• Abolished slavery and granted freedom to all Americans with exceptions, such as punishment for crime
• Clause: "EXCEPT AS A PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME"
• This exception can be used for various purposes

Economic Context Post-Civil War

• Slavery was an economic system
• Its end at the Civil War's conclusion devastated the Southern economy
• Four million previously enslaved people were integral to that economy
• Rebuilding the economy posed a significant challenge
• The 13th Amendment's loophole was immediately exploited