USA has the highest incarceration rate. Why?

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d21lewis said:

ArnoldRimmer said:
There are two major reasons:

1. The main reason is that american jails are filled with harmless drug users, not real criminals who harm others.

2. Locking people up is a business in the USA. So there are many people who will earn more money if more people are locked up, so these influential people have an interest to have as many people in jail as possible.

I don't know about prisons, but I know from working as a jailer that it actually costs a ton of money to clothe, feed, house, and protect prisoners.  And God forbid somebody need medical attention.  There goes a huge chunk of our budget, right there! 

There's a reason why people get suspended sentences or get to spend their time confined to their homes.  If anybody is making money, it's the probation office.  Rather than go to jail (and possibly prison), offenders have to report to their probation office and pay a pre-determined fee (as well as adhere to a certain set of rules).  Of course, EVERYBODY would rather be on probation than actually go to jail/prison. --Unfortunately, people on probation always seem to fuck it up and get arrested or fail to report, anyway.  We called probation "A jail sentence on lay-away" because people on probation always end up going to jail for probation violations.

I know in New York most cops love to find someone that is on Probation/Parole so they can arrest them on a false charge to send them to jail. I mean if you're on Parole/Probation walking in a group larger then two people will get you stopped, questioned and maybe even searched in my city. This also goes for being in a vehicle...including a cab/taxi. Cops here are truly assholes and are usually bored, which is funny because when something actually happens they're the last on the scene.