Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.—more than were in Stalin’s gulags. Photograph by Steve Liss Mass Incarceration in the United States For most privileged, professional people, the experience of confinement is a mere brush, encountered after a kid’s arrest, say. For a great many poor people in America, particularly poor black men, prison is a destination that braids through an ordinary life, much as high school and college do for rich white ones. More than half of all black men without a high-school diploma go to prison at some time in their lives. Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States. “Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height.”

Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.—more than were in Stalin’s gulags. Photograph by Steve Liss

Mass Incarceration in the United States

For most privileged, professional people, the experience of confinement is a mere brush, encountered after a kid’s arrest, say. For a great many poor people in America, particularly poor black men, prison is a destination that braids through an ordinary life, much as high school and college do for rich white ones. More than half of all black men without a high-school diploma go to prison at some time in their lives. Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States.

“Over all, there are now more people under “correctional supervision” in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height.”

Posted at 10:08 PM 120 notes Tags: politics news prison industrial complex

Notes

  1. christa-watson reblogged this from perigee-syzygy
  2. caststone reblogged this from brosephstalin
  3. dilberthernandez reblogged this from liberationorstarvation
  4. liberationorstarvation reblogged this from elitc
  5. xocarolynrose reblogged this from thescienceofreality
  6. bowloforangekush reblogged this from whatjoylikes and added:
    ok this is what I was looking for. THIS MAKES ME SO SAD.
  7. melissa-peterson reblogged this from kalemason and added:
    way to go, US. Your methods are clearly working.
  8. yonotoe reblogged this from kalemason
  9. purringepigram reblogged this from elitc and added:
    Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.—more than were in Stalin’s gulags. Photograph by Steve...
  10. elitc reblogged this from resmc
  11. ilikemycoffeeblackjustlikemyflag reblogged this from myflagisblackandred
  12. myflagisblackandred reblogged this from mountaindust and added:
    The U.S. prison is among the most physical and violent manifestations of the state, capitalism, white supremacy,...
  13. resmc reblogged this from cuntofdoom
  14. braincrush reblogged this from cuntofdoom
  15. cuntofdoom reblogged this from becauseproperteaistheft
  16. proto-flake reblogged this from becauseproperteaistheft
  17. kalemason reblogged this from becauseproperteaistheft
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  19. neosocializm reblogged this from thepeoplesrecord
  20. perigee-syzygy reblogged this from ahnika-te and added:
    MORE THAN SIX MILLION… something is seriously wrong with our society.
  21. tonybaldwin reblogged this from sinidentidades and added:
    Here’s your proof that racism is alive and well. While black men are something like 10% of our population, they are...
  22. polyslime reblogged this from truedemocracy and added:
    End criminalization...Drugs. Elect Ron Paul President...he...
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  24. vixen-vermin-vivisection reblogged this from anticapitalist
  25. hdiep reblogged this from hyungjk
  26. camerabum reblogged this from thepeoplesrecord and added:
    I studied under Steve when I was at Columbia. He is a great photographer and teacher. On the wall of his office, he has...
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