5 ms·

The crazy thing is that mass incarceration is relatively new in the US. Are Prisons Obsolete by Angela Davis was a real eye-opener for me.

• bitwize 4y ago
  Not even Angela Davis was totally opposed to prisons. She just thought they were for counterrevolutionaries rather than ordinary criminals.
• barry-cotter 4y ago
  > The crazy thing is that mass incarceration is relatively new in the US. Indeed. Before the massive explosion in violence and disorder the US pioneered in the 60s the First World was substantially more peaceful. Less need for incarceration with much lower rates of crime.
  • mmustapic 4y ago
    The higher incarceration rates were caused by the "war on drugs" during the 80s.
    • barry-cotter 4y ago
      US murder rates doubled between 1960 and 1970. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-u-s-murder-rate-is-up-but-still-far-below-its-1980-peak/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-u-s-murder-rate-is-... It took until 1980 for incarceration rates to start their upward climb. Ten years is a remarkably long time for a doubling of murder rates to take to show up in imprisonment. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-imprisoners-dilemma/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-imprisoners-dilemma...
      • pessimizer 4y ago
        > It took until 1980 for incarceration rates to start their upward climb. Ten years is a remarkably long time for a doubling of murder rates to take to show up in imprisonment. This is extremely dubious. The vast majority of people in prison are not there for murder. From a search, 15% of people in prison have a murder on their record. It's not TV.