behind bars

i was reading an article and a figure jumped off the page at me:

one in five americans is under the supervision of the criminal justice system.

that is a lot of people.

a hell of a lot.

if you think about that figure, we are either living in a very violent, amoral society or we have become so puritanical in our thinking and the way we administer justice that the most innocuous offenders are being thrown into the jail system.

compounding this staggering number is the fact that very little rehabilitation is taking place inside our country's jails. so what does that leave us with when 20% of our population re-enters society? it is a very frightening prospect.

360degrees.org is a fantastic resource for a further examination of this remarkable phenomenon. when you think about 2 million+ people incarcerated and without a voice, sites like this have an added resonance.