Why does the United States have the largest prison population in the world ?

[Markle]

We can approach this problem in many different ways, but nothing will stop it until we find a way to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country, and the southern border wall is the first step. .

Most of the opium ( or any other drugs ) doesn't come in across the
southern border.




View attachment 260589

Angelo, you're wrong again.

Where are the Opioids Coming From?

• Mexico: Even though most of the world’s heroin is produced in Afghanistan, most of the heroin used by American drug users comes from Mexico. In 2014, 79 percent of the heroin seized by the DEA was Mexican white powder.5 According to the Council on Foreign Relations, most of the heroin that is smuggled into the United States is grown on poppy farms in Mexico. Once produced, the drugs are then produced by eight main cartels and distributed to highly-populated cities in America, such as Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, and Los Angeles.6

Drug Trafficking: Where are the Illegal Opioids Coming From?

 

[BrokeLoser]

57 pages in?
I thought this thread would end at 2 pages due to the level of simplicity.

We are a nation founded on law and order, we have an awesome structure of law enforcement and facilities to incarcerate and we have lots of Brown and Black folks....TA-DA!
END OF THREAD

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Federal prosecutors charged drug distributor Rochester Drug Cooperative and its former CEO with drug trafficking charges Tuesday -- the first criminal charges for a pharmaceutical company and executives in the nation's ongoing opioid crisis.

First criminal charges for a pharma distributor and CEO

I have a friend I knew for many years. In fact we lived together for about a year. She's ill now, on disability, and spends a lot of time in pain. About a year or so ago, she went to get her pain medications, and they cut them in half.

Because of liability, doctors and manufacturers are now very timid about dispensing these pain medications. I understand their goal which is not people who actually need them, but they end up being the casualties of war.

I've read similar stories about the same thing with other people. So now millions suffer while trial lawyers are getting rich, and yet our opioid death rate keeps increasing.

Suing the manufacturers of these medications is not the way to go about this, no more than suing the gun industries for shootings.

This wasn't a lawsuit. It was DEA/FBI operation.

A little bit of both actually. Your link goes on to point out other litigation.

RDC was also among the drug distributors named last month in a civil lawsuit by the New York Attorney General's office, which alleged fraud, willful misconduct and gross negligence.

Opioid manufacturers are facing over 1,700 lawsuits over their role in the current crisis. Paul Hanly, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the federal litigation, which he said includes 2,000 cases, welcomed the move by U.S. prosecutors.

"The charges make the civil case against RDC easier to try and provide a potential road map to evidence that may prove the civil claims against other distributors," Hanly told ABC News on Tuesday.

 

[Kondor3]

Don't wanna go to jail?

Don't break the law.

--------

2.3 million inmates is still a helluva lot less than 1% of the US population.

How does the US stack up against the rest of the world proportionally?

Does that go for the government too ? Usually not.

Irrelevant to the point at-hand...

 

[Kondor3]

I wonder how the US compares to other superpowers with large numbers of rotting inner-cities?

Inner cities infested with 4th and 5th generation descendants of slaves who still can't get off-the-dole?

Inner cities infested with half-savage illiterates and non-language-speakers from a next-door 3rd-world country?

Inner cities that have been long-since been abandoned by Civilized Folk who took their toys and money elsewhere...

Strip those $hithole$ out of the equation and the US probably compares much more favorably...

The prison system keeps the worst of that barbarian trash from getting too far out of hand...

 

[OKTexas]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

It's pretty damn simple, children who are taught respect for others and authority don't usually grow up to be criminals. Unfortunately it's no longer taught in many homes and damn sure isn't taught in schools anymore. Now we find it necessary for society to defend itself form the spawn of negligent parents and schools.

.

 

[Blues Man]

Bullshit.

I have had opioids on prescription multiple times after several different surgeries and I was never addicted in fact I didn't even use all the refills that were allowed and I still have some sitting in my medicine cabinet.

And addiction does not mean unable to stop.

Addiction is a physical dependence on a substance that results in withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking that substance.

No one becomes an alcoholic after one drink either in fact alcohol addiction takes even longer to manifest than does addiction to other drugs and withdrawal from alcohol is more deadly than from opioids.

You are dangerously misinformed.

Addiction is both a physical and psychological addiction. Withdrawal from opioids and crystal meth are as dangerous to withdraw from as is alcohol. All can be fatal during withdrawal.

In my opinion, the vast majority of doctors are not responsible for the opioid crisis. Like every profession, I believe that there are relatively few bad apples. I also don't believe that the vast majority of people become addicted due to one prescription of painkillers.

Doctors are not responsible for opioid addiction.

The people who Dr shop and buy pills illegally are responsible for their own behavior

And no one gets addicted after one use of anything

 

[Blues Man]

Bullshit.

I have had opioids on prescription multiple times after several different surgeries and I was never addicted in fact I didn't even use all the refills that were allowed and I still have some sitting in my medicine cabinet.

And addiction does not mean unable to stop.

Addiction is a physical dependence on a substance that results in withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking that substance.

No one becomes an alcoholic after one drink either in fact alcohol addiction takes even longer to manifest than does addiction to other drugs and withdrawal from alcohol is more deadly than from opioids.

You are dangerously misinformed.

Addiction is both a physical and psychological addiction. Withdrawal from opioids and crystal meth are as dangerous to withdraw from as is alcohol. All can be fatal during withdrawal.

In my opinion, the vast majority of doctors are not responsible for the opioid crisis. Like every profession, I believe that there are relatively few bad apples. I also don't believe that the vast majority of people become addicted due to one prescription of painkillers.

Years ago when the stuff wasn't so ready available, people who did develop an addiction to prescriptions got professional help right away. Today, if somebody gets addicted, they go out into the streets to continue their addiction.

We can approach this problem in many different ways, but nothing will stop it until we find a way to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country, and the southern border wall is the first step. As supply and demand dictates, the less supply, the more it costs to obtain a product.

The prohibition on drugs is as much a failure as the prohibition on alcohol was.

We were at least smart enough to repeal the prohibition on alcohol

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Bullshit.

I have had opioids on prescription multiple times after several different surgeries and I was never addicted in fact I didn't even use all the refills that were allowed and I still have some sitting in my medicine cabinet.

And addiction does not mean unable to stop.

Addiction is a physical dependence on a substance that results in withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking that substance.

No one becomes an alcoholic after one drink either in fact alcohol addiction takes even longer to manifest than does addiction to other drugs and withdrawal from alcohol is more deadly than from opioids.

You are dangerously misinformed.

Addiction is both a physical and psychological addiction. Withdrawal from opioids and crystal meth are as dangerous to withdraw from as is alcohol. All can be fatal during withdrawal.

In my opinion, the vast majority of doctors are not responsible for the opioid crisis. Like every profession, I believe that there are relatively few bad apples. I also don't believe that the vast majority of people become addicted due to one prescription of painkillers.

Years ago when the stuff wasn't so ready available, people who did develop an addiction to prescriptions got professional help right away. Today, if somebody gets addicted, they go out into the streets to continue their addiction.

We can approach this problem in many different ways, but nothing will stop it until we find a way to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country, and the southern border wall is the first step. As supply and demand dictates, the less supply, the more it costs to obtain a product.

The prohibition on drugs is as much a failure as the prohibition on alcohol was.

We were at least smart enough to repeal the prohibition on alcohol

Okay, and do you suppose we have more alcoholics today, more people driving drunk, more people killing other motorists, more people in jail or prison than we did during prohibition?

Don't get me wrong, I love my beer, but I also understand that like anything else, because it's legal, more people are going to use the product. And the more people use the product, the more alternative problems you will have.

 

[Blues Man]

Bullshit.

I have had opioids on prescription multiple times after several different surgeries and I was never addicted in fact I didn't even use all the refills that were allowed and I still have some sitting in my medicine cabinet.

And addiction does not mean unable to stop.

Addiction is a physical dependence on a substance that results in withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking that substance.

No one becomes an alcoholic after one drink either in fact alcohol addiction takes even longer to manifest than does addiction to other drugs and withdrawal from alcohol is more deadly than from opioids.

You are dangerously misinformed.

Addiction is both a physical and psychological addiction. Withdrawal from opioids and crystal meth are as dangerous to withdraw from as is alcohol. All can be fatal during withdrawal.

In my opinion, the vast majority of doctors are not responsible for the opioid crisis. Like every profession, I believe that there are relatively few bad apples. I also don't believe that the vast majority of people become addicted due to one prescription of painkillers.

Years ago when the stuff wasn't so ready available, people who did develop an addiction to prescriptions got professional help right away. Today, if somebody gets addicted, they go out into the streets to continue their addiction.

We can approach this problem in many different ways, but nothing will stop it until we find a way to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country, and the southern border wall is the first step. As supply and demand dictates, the less supply, the more it costs to obtain a product.

The prohibition on drugs is as much a failure as the prohibition on alcohol was.

We were at least smart enough to repeal the prohibition on alcohol

Okay, and do you suppose we have more alcoholics today, more people driving drunk, more people killing other motorists, more people in jail or prison than we did during prohibition?

Don't get me wrong, I love my beer, but I also understand that like anything else, because it's legal, more people are going to use the product. And the more people use the product, the more alternative problems you will have.

We have more people and more cars than we did during prohibition so your question is irrelevant.

And I don't buy the it's legal therefore people will use it argument.

I'll ask you again if heroin was made legal would you be out there shooting up?

 

[danielpalos]

I wonder how the US compares to other superpowers with large numbers of rotting inner-cities?

Inner cities infested with 4th and 5th generation descendants of slaves who still can't get off-the-dole?

Inner cities infested with half-savage illiterates and non-language-speakers from a next-door 3rd-world country?

Inner cities that have been long-since been abandoned by Civilized Folk who took their toys and money elsewhere...

Strip those $hithole$ out of the equation and the US probably compares much more favorably...

The prison system keeps the worst of that barbarian trash from getting too far out of hand...

new cities in more optimal locations promotes the general welfare.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Once again, you're wrong. Surprise, surprise!

REally?

What crimes in that pie chart are violent crimes?
Burglary isn't
public order isn't
drugs aren't

Is "other" a violent crime?

So...in your opinion criminals who commit burglary and deal drugs should not be put in prison? What should be done with them?

There are plenty of ways to use alternative sentencing.

And I don't think drugs should be illegal at all. Decriminalizing all drugs would reduce the prison population by half

Specifically what are those "plenty of ways to use alternative sentencing".

Legalizing all drugs is stupid. Just stupid and childish. Legalizing murder, robbery, and assault would reduce the prison population too.

Taking drugs is a personal choice. A person who does drugs is not violating any of your rights a person who murders is. There is a glaring difference between the two.

Decriminalize drugs and you also put an end to much of the violence associated with the illicit drug trade.

What's childish is needing to be told by the government what to do and what not to do because you can't control yourself.

I'm sure that sounds really good to you, because it's all nice and neat and simple, but the reality is that drug users do a great deal of harm to those around them, and are already a major blight on society. That's not going to be less true simply because a few well-meaning imbeciles go, "Ta Daaaahh! We don't disapprove now, so that makes drugs happy and positive!"

 

[Cecilie1200]

Once again, you're wrong. Surprise, surprise!

REally?

What crimes in that pie chart are violent crimes?
Burglary isn't
public order isn't
drugs aren't

Is "other" a violent crime?

So...in your opinion criminals who commit burglary and deal drugs should not be put in prison? What should be done with them?

There are plenty of ways to use alternative sentencing.

And I don't think drugs should be illegal at all. Decriminalizing all drugs would reduce the prison population by half

And at least double the overdose deaths and addictions. However if we were ever to go in that direction, the first thing we'd have to do is shore up our welfare system. Nobody gets on it who are physically capable of holding a job. I don't want to pay for all these strung out MF's as I'm paying for enough people to sit home and watch their big screens as it is.

Isn't it strange how Portugal decriminalized all drugs and saw addiction rates drop?
The courts were freed up from the lag jam of drug cases, so much money was saved that a small percentage of it was used to offer rehab and both addiction rates and overdoses decreased significantly.

ANd don't try to tell me that won't work here because Portugal is a small country as we can implement it by state, city or town

Portugal, huh? All right. Leaving aside the many differences between the United States and Portugal (a country a fraction of the size and population of ours), tell me precisely which of the policies Portugal pursued you are advocating here, and how they work. Because I seem to have missed the post where you outlined any recommendations other than complete decriminalization of drugs, which doesn't appear to be what they actually did.

 

[iceberg]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

cause people get mad if you just kill the criminals?

 

[the other mike]

cause people get mad if you just kill the criminals?

Maybe if you'd read the OP you'd have realized that the title is a rhetorical question.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Bullshit.

I have had opioids on prescription multiple times after several different surgeries and I was never addicted in fact I didn't even use all the refills that were allowed and I still have some sitting in my medicine cabinet.

And addiction does not mean unable to stop.

Addiction is a physical dependence on a substance that results in withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking that substance.

No one becomes an alcoholic after one drink either in fact alcohol addiction takes even longer to manifest than does addiction to other drugs and withdrawal from alcohol is more deadly than from opioids.

You are dangerously misinformed.

Addiction is both a physical and psychological addiction. Withdrawal from opioids and crystal meth are as dangerous to withdraw from as is alcohol. All can be fatal during withdrawal.

In my opinion, the vast majority of doctors are not responsible for the opioid crisis. Like every profession, I believe that there are relatively few bad apples. I also don't believe that the vast majority of people become addicted due to one prescription of painkillers.

Years ago when the stuff wasn't so ready available, people who did develop an addiction to prescriptions got professional help right away. Today, if somebody gets addicted, they go out into the streets to continue their addiction.

We can approach this problem in many different ways, but nothing will stop it until we find a way to stop the flow of drugs coming into this country, and the southern border wall is the first step. As supply and demand dictates, the less supply, the more it costs to obtain a product.

The prohibition on drugs is as much a failure as the prohibition on alcohol was.

We were at least smart enough to repeal the prohibition on alcohol

Okay, and do you suppose we have more alcoholics today, more people driving drunk, more people killing other motorists, more people in jail or prison than we did during prohibition?

Don't get me wrong, I love my beer, but I also understand that like anything else, because it's legal, more people are going to use the product. And the more people use the product, the more alternative problems you will have.

We have more people and more cars than we did during prohibition so your question is irrelevant.

And I don't buy the it's legal therefore people will use it argument.

I'll ask you again if heroin was made legal would you be out there shooting up?

And I'll answer you again: No I wouldn't, but I'm sure others would.

What do you suppose would happen if we made rape a minor offense only punishable by a ticket and fine? What if we made theft legal? What if we made murder legal?

If all these things were legal, I wouldn't participate in any of them. But do you think we'd have the same amount of rapes, theft or murders in this country?

Marijuana use in Colorado didn't spike, but it did go up

 

[the other mike]

Angelo, you're wrong again.

First of all, when was I wrong before, specifically ?

And second, the fact that " In 2014, 79 percent of the heroin seized by the DEA was Mexican white powder" is not in any way evidence that Mexico is where most of the opioids are coming from.

 

[iceberg]

cause people get mad if you just kill the criminals?

Maybe if you'd read the OP you'd have realized that the title is a rhetorical question.

Maybe if you read my overly long reply you'd notice I was being a smart-ass.

 

[Clementine]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

Congress, particularly Dems, love passing new laws. People break the laws and go to jail. In some cases, it's stupid. In other cases, it's what is best for society.

Jail was even threatened for those who refused to buy Obamacare. People are in jail for filling in holes on their property because it violated some ridiculous wetland laws. People are in jail for tax evasion. People are in jail for murder. People are in jail for selling drugs, human trafficking, and a bunch of other crap.

Yes, some innocent people get thrown in jail and they deserve our sympathy.

If people are dangerous, shouldn't they be in jail? We can't just let everyone out because some don't like the fact that so many break laws.

Look at the way people live in some inner cities. I dare say, many of the worst are Dem-controlled cities. Kids grow up with no respect for authority or society. The schools are a mess. The kids are the latest generation of families who have this anti-social attitude. Crime is a way of life.

Maybe start changing the way Dems run cities and we will have less minorities in jail.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

It’s no secret that the U.S. incarcerates a shocking number of swaths of its own people, primarily the poor and people of color. With 2.3 million Americans currently being held in prisons, the country has the largest prison population in the world. But even as awareness of mass incarceration grows, two crucial questions remain at the heart of the debate on prison reform: Why does the U.S. imprison so many people, and how do we change our toxic approach? These are the issues Tony Platt, author of “Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States,” and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer discuss in the latest installment of “Scheer Intelligence.”

(snip)....There’s a tendency these days for people to say the United States proportionally incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. I don’t know if that’s true. I just don’t think we know what the real situation is in China and Russia, which are the big competitors in incarceration. I think the U.S. is in the ballpark; I think the U.S. is close. When you compare the U.S. with Canada or Australia or New Zealand, or France and England, then there’s no contest. There’s no other country that’s comparable to the United States in terms of its political economy that puts as many people away, that hires as many cops, and invests as much money in repression as this country does.

CONTINUED---https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-liberal-betrayal-of-americas-most-vulnerable/

If every American had to do 30 days to get a taste of what it's like inside, we would put an end to this mass incarceration real fast. You don't realize how bad it is until it happens to someone close to you. Out of sight- out of mind....2.3 million forgotten souls living in hell.

Congress, particularly Dems, love passing new laws. People break the laws and go to jail. In some cases, it's stupid. In other cases, it's what is best for society.

Jail was even threatened for those who refused to buy Obamacare. People are in jail for filling in holes on their property because it violated some ridiculous wetland laws. People are in jail for tax evasion. People are in jail for murder. People are in jail for selling drugs, human trafficking, and a bunch of other crap.

Yes, some innocent people get thrown in jail and they deserve our sympathy.

If people are dangerous, shouldn't they be in jail? We can't just let everyone out because some don't like the fact that so many break laws.

Look at the way people live in some inner cities. I dare say, many of the worst are Dem-controlled cities. Kids grow up with no respect for authority or society. The schools are a mess. The kids are the latest generation of families who have this anti-social attitude. Crime is a way of life.

Maybe start changing the way Dems run cities and we will have less minorities in jail.

Minorities in jail is less the politicians fault than it is the parents. However it is the left politicians who pushed so hard for single-parent families.

In some cases, black children are not only not taught to respect the law, they are taught to disrespect it. They are taught by their parents that police only want to lock them up or kill them simply because of their skin color; that nobody has authority over therm. So they grow up that way.