US & Russia: Highest Incarceration Rates in the World

[lisab]

We're number one! We're number one!

In prison and jail inmates per capita, that is.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/28/prison.population.ap/index.html

"The report said the United States is the world's incarceration leader, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars. It said the U.S. also is the leader in inmates per capita (750 per 100,000 people), ahead of Russia (628 per 100,000) and other former Soviet bloc nations which make up the rest of the Top 10."

Is it just a coincidence that the two countries that were involved in the Cold War have the highest incarceration rates in the world?

 

[ShawnD]

Is it just a coincidence that the two countries that were involved in the Cold War have the highest incarceration rates in the world?

Um yes? Unless you're suggesting the prison is filled with communists or something.

 

[wolram]

I thought the uk had the most, or was that the most that escape.

 

[Moonbear]

I thought the uk had the most, or was that the most that escape.

No, that's IN bars, not behind bars.

 

[edward]

No, that's IN bars, not behind bars.

 

[lisab]

Um yes? Unless you're suggesting the prison is filled with communists or something.

No, that's not what I'm suggesting. The neocons didn't get that far, though I think they would have liked to.

My original post was cut short by work...imagine that! I'll explain a little more.

When I was a kid, the fear of being blown up by nuclear weapons was a real fear. About that same time a movie that came out called The Day After - it was about the aftermath of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. I don't remember much about the movie but I do remember how it played on everyone's fears. Where I lived, the fear in people was absolutely real.

Was there as much fear in the general public in the Soviet Union? Maybe someone on this forum knows.

So I wonder how growing up with so much fear affects people. To me - and this is based only on my limited travels - it seems we have more fear of people here in the US, compared to places like England or Mexico.

For example, my neighborhood is FULL of kids. On a typical beautiful day none are outside playing, unless a parent is there to watch over them. People are afraid "something" might happen...it's now normal to always have vague, non-specific, fear.

Our home alarms are armed, our doors are locked, our jails are full. Am I just getting crotchety and nostalgic, or do people seem more on a hair-trigger these days?

 

[russ_watters]

Was there as much fear in the general public in the Soviet Union? Maybe someone on this forum knows.

Yes! Fear was the basis of the power/authority of the Soviet government.

Our home alarms are armed, our doors are locked, our jails are full. Am I just getting crotchety and nostalgic, or do people seem more on a hair-trigger these days?

I also think fear is a problem in the US. People seem to fear a lot of things that they really shouldn't. That said, I'm not sure that has much of anything to do with our prison population and I'm not sure how it compares with other countries.

 

[Moonbear]

When I was a kid, the fear of being blown up by nuclear weapons was a real fear. About that same time a movie that came out called The Day After - it was about the aftermath of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. I don't remember much about the movie but I do remember how it played on everyone's fears. Where I lived, the fear in people was absolutely real.

Hmm...I remember that movie and don't remember anyone being particularly afraid of anything. I remember lots of people talking about it, because for a TV movie, it was pretty good (was it one of the first mini-series? I can't recall if that was a mini-series.) I don't know where you were living at the time, but it seems like the people were seriously over-reacting to a movie.

So I wonder how growing up with so much fear affects people. To me - and this is based only on my limited travels - it seems we have more fear of people here in the US, compared to places like England or Mexico.

I don't know. I think there's a rather vocal, quite nutty, but minority subset of the population who is afraid of everything, but I don't think that's much of the norm, and I'm sure you find nuts like that everywhere if you look for them.

For example, my neighborhood is FULL of kids. On a typical beautiful day none are outside playing, unless a parent is there to watch over them. People are afraid "something" might happen...it's now normal to always have vague, non-specific, fear.

Oh, now that I've heard of...it seems to be an odd phenomenon among the upper-middle class suburban families that they are paranoid someone is going to steal their child if they let them play outside. I keep yelling at one of my friends about this, because his kids don't get to play outside much with the neighborhood children either. I keep telling him send the kids out in sunshine, and let them run around like we used to. I don't think this is a rational fear, but probably one inspired by the creation of these sex offender registries. I mean, there were always "creepy" people in the neighborhoods when we were growing up, and that's why you were taught not to talk to strangers, but it's no reason to deprive a kid of going outside to play.

Our home alarms are armed, our doors are locked, our jails are full. Am I just getting crotchety and nostalgic, or do people seem more on a hair-trigger these days?

I don't know. Not something I worry about a lot. I have never had an alarm on a home, and don't plan to. I lock the doors when I'm not home, but am not paranoid about locking them all if I am home (did have one friend stay with me who went all around checking the doors before going to sleep at night...apparently it bothered him that I didn't, but if someone wanted to break in at night, they'd just come in through a window anyway, so why should I get paranoid about locking the doors?).

I don't see how any of that would have anything to do with how many criminals are in jail, though.

 

[Ephratah7]

our Country, Philippines, is the most corrupted country! waaaaaa!