Fascinating. I'd like to see some other variables so we can get the best idea of why that's the case. Are our citizenz more rebelious, or are our laws too strict? Are most of those imprisoned there for major offenses or some minor stuff? And then how is our crime rate compared to other countries where less of the population is imprisoned?
I have a feeling I know the answer to all these questions.
~50% of it is for non-violent drug related crimes, mostly marijuana.
Doubtful. Here in Texas pot doesn't even make the top 30. Burglary is the runaway winner. Here's the rundown on Texas prisoners:
BURG HABIT 40019
AGG ROBBERY 22370
DWI 16498
AGG ASLT 13708
POSS C/S COCAINE 13572
AGG SEX ASLT CHILD 12816
ROBBERY 12684
POSS WIT DEL C/S COCAINE 10815
POSS C/S COCAINE 10110
INDECENCY W/CHILD 9489
BURG BLDG 9232
MURDER 7149
ROBBERY 7016
POSS C/S COCAINE 6304
POSS FIREARM BY FELON 5894
DEL CONT SUBS 5629
AGG ASLT 5582
MURDER 5580
AGG ROBBERY W/DEADLY WPN 5279
AGG SEX ASLT 5074
POSS C/S 4760
SEX ASLT CHILD 4652
AGG SEX ASLT 4195
UNAUTH USE MTR VEH 3753
AGG SEX ASLT CHILD 3435
DEL C/S COCAINE 3280
SEX ASLT 3232
BURG VEH 3135
THEFT 3069
AGG ASLT 3048
To address Implode's questions, I don't think our laws are necessarily to strict. Our sentencing is. People here have a real hard-on for punishment, so the answer to any crime is "throw him in prison" and they'll just keep building more jails to accommodate them. A big part of that is fueled by a very real prison industrial complex (sorry, I hate calling things X-Y complexes, but it applies here). Since we've privatized the prison industry, there's money to be made from every person sent up the river. The Man pays you X amount for each one you take in, and you get to pimp him out to Olan Mills as cheap telemarketing labor.
Other countries prefer treatment to incarceration. Despite the fact that it works, we prefer to ridicule that notion, supported with bullshit numbers thrown out by people with a vested interest, financial or personal, in seeing people locked up.
This is why I mentioned to Reapsta that imprisonment should be expensive. We've turned it into a profitable endeavor, and the results are horrifying.