UNITED STATES HIGHEST PER CAPITA INCOME

Why UNITED STATES have the highest number of per capita individuals



Abstract

The United States of America has an incarceration rate of 743 per 100,000 of national population (as of 2009), the highest in the world. (Raphael S., Michael A., 2009)

Upon finding the cause of incarceration, it becomes clear that the length of punishment or sentence is the major reason behind it.

One of the condemnations of the United States structure is that it has a lot longer sentences than compared with other parts of the world. As compared to Britain, Russia, china and Canada, the time period for sentencing is a lot more and can go up to years.

Introduction

More than one in every 100 American adults is incarcerated. US have the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. The United States government houses at an amazing percentage of 25% of the world's incarcerated population while accounting for only 5% of the world's population. (Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley, Barbara A. Bardes, 2011)

China that has a population 4 times greater than that of the United States comes in second with 14% of the world's incarcerated population. (Dallaire, 2007)

The statistics are particularly striking among minorities where an adult who is white is 106 in number that is incarcerated, and a Black on 360 who are in prison.

More than 165,000 African Americans living with AIDS related to injection were already dead by the end of 2001. Thousands more were infected with the HIV virus. The virus has fallen much harder on African-Americans than on whites who inject drugs. Among people who inject drugs, African Americans are five times more likely than whites to have AIDS. (Jekielek, 1997)

In an attempt to reduce illicit drug markets, many governments rely on drug addicts in prison. Reasons for the need to maintain and often, increased police activity and criminal penalties for drug users is the belief that a strong law enforcement and imprisonment will prevent a wide range of potential users and distributors in the form of participation in the drug market. Imprisonment for drug policy in most countries play an important role, but its use varies greatly from country to country.

A growing number of people arrested for drug offenses are sent to prison. The largest increase was in the U.S., where more than half of federal prisoners are detained for a drug charge.

Survey

The latest survey of prisons in the United States reveals that more than 800,000 inmates are parents of minor children (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). Not surprisingly, parental incarceration has been linked to a host of psychological and social difficulties, including substance abuse, problems in school, aggression, gang membership, and delinquency Some scholars suggest these problems may be heightened when the parent's arrest and incarceration are unanticipated, occur in violent contexts, or result in children having little to no contact with their imprisoned parent Research suggests that children of prisoners are at increased risk for criminal justice system involvement throughout the life course compared to children whose ...