Interesting Stats...

Flipping around on the TV today, while waiting for my eyes to readjust after being dilated by the opthalmologist, I heard some interesting statistics on a show on PBS. It may have been the McLaughlin Group (however the hell you spell it), but I couldn't see, so I'm just taking a guess.

Turns out that 25% of all criminals in the world are incarcerated in the US. They have a population of over 2.1 million inmates. The question presented, of course, is why, considering the US definitely does not have the largest population in the world.

One of the panellists said that it has nothing to do with the lack of gun laws and controls, and everything to do with ethnicity. However, he failed to back up his conclusion with any factual statements. Interracial violence is actually quite rare--95% of all crimes against black people are perpetrated by black people, and in other ethnic groups, the percentage is about the same, never dipping below 90%. So if people of certain ethnicities are only attacking those of the same ethnicity, how is ethnicity or ethnic tension the cause of all this violence?

And if it were true that ethnic tension is the cause of the crimes, wouldn't places with larger populations constitute the largest number of inmates? The US is only third on the list of most populous countries, and is the only Western country in the top ten (for population, it goes: China, India, US, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Japan). It could be stated that the US is the only country with great ethnic diversity among its population, but many of the countries listed are well known for the degree of violence (particularly between different classes/castes and religions).

So is there truly a violence problem in the US? One could say that the US simply has a better justice system, with more penitentiaries, and is much less corrupt than some of the other countries. But on the other hand, the penalties for criminals in these countries is severe--executions by firing squad and stonings still occur in at least four of the countries listed. Is fear of the punishment keeping the one billion plus populations of China and India out of trouble, or is it the difficulty of obtaining weapons, or something more fundamental--are the people of these countries more concerned with surviving day to day life that they simply don't have the "luxury" to participate in criminal activity?

Hmm....

Katse

Yes MD has hit it on the nose, you simply have more money in your governments yearly budget to spend on such things.

I guess in places like China with huge populations they just hang them instead.

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Thanks Cep

Gatchamania.net Administrator

Eh, we just like building prisons and sticking people in 'em. It's fun.

Maybe we should start sending them to Australia. That way we don't have to feed them.

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What if there is a spoon?

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Shoot first..ask questions later!

LOL!!!!

Im sure shell come up with marvellous ways to enhance the graffited walls, and meagre cell surroundings to perfectly contrast and blend with her prison garb..

YOu gotta envy her cellmate..

giggles!

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Shoot first..ask questions later!

I object to "no stigma attached to having been inside". Some sub-cultures here may be different, but the majority keep our noses clean.

One of the big probs with wanting to reform is the stigma attached.

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Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

- Viktor E. Frankl

OMG

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Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

- Viktor E. Frankl

So, um, what are they?

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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny."

My first, innocent, thought was that they were white mule slippers or something, and only the frilly edges and depth of padding made me think otherwise.

Those little snowmen's noses would certainly make them interesting to wear as a hygiene item

...edit...
Oh my god!
I was half right

... 2nd edit ...
Who'd have thought these things could be so controvertial? Just look down the comments left by visitors.

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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny."