The Punishing Republic
Hard to try to fathom why it might be that the one country of the world that thinks of itself as the freest, (unarguably) the wealthiest, and possibly the most noble-intentioned on this earth may also be identified as the most incarceration-prone, as well. So how does one match up social, political, religious and ideological freedom with high prison populations? The opportunities are there, we are informed, for any of its citizens to succeed, to achieve their high-minded ambitions.Anyone can be - or can attain to - the highest office of the land. Arguably, with certain reservations. At one time adherents of certain religions, representatives of certain ethnic groups, black or female aspirants, and those whose gender identity was considered to be inordinately counter to culture were given short shrift. Who was left? Those who pulled themselves out of social adversity through the misfortune of under-privilege.
Now, the world looks on amazed and with no little degree of hope as the two leading candidates for the Democratic Party of the United States represent two of the major groups under-represented in the hierarchy of political power. One of whom, a black man whose mixed heritage qualifies him as a dark horse, is galumphing up to the finish line with panache and promise. Delivering a large dollop of hope in equality among the races.
And that's a huge shift in public perception in that undeniably great country. Because for all its championing at home and abroad of democracy and equality and freedoms, it suffers a hugely troubling deficit in some very key areas of human inter-relationships, both social and political. One appears to be on the verge of slipping through to a victorious break-through, the other remains steadfastly troublesome.
Freedom does seem to have its price. Of course freedom to act has a sidekick; responsibility for one's actions. Unfortunate choices often make for unfortunate outcomes. Opportunity gaps abound in any society, and in the United States the gaps between the wealthy and the disadvantaged, indigent population doesn't appear to be narrowing. Lack of decent housing, education, health care and hope for the future invariably leads to rebellion expressed by illicit activities.
Resulting in the country of the free and the brave incarcerating more of its population than any other country in the world. One in every one hundred people jailed. Over 2.3-million people held within the U.S. penal system. China, against whose human-rights abuses everyone rails, and whose population is three times that of the United States, ranks second - with a far lesser 1.5-million behind bars. Russia, that great bugbear of gulags, has a mere 890,000 imprisoned.
Isn't that staggering? And the prison population in the United States, already far in excess of its nearest competitors-in-incarceration is steadily growing. One in 36 Hispanic adults behind bars, a figure released by the U.S. Justice Department for the year 2006. One in 15 black adults. One in 9 black men between 20 to 34 years of age. One in 100 black women behind bars; four and a half times the comparable rate for white women.
Like our universe, steadily and relentlessly moving stars and planets further away from one another, the political, social and economic conditions within the greatest country on earth - at the present time - is moving its polarized demographics further and further away from its centre of gravity.
Labels: Environment, Political Realities, Social-Cultural Deviations
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, March 01, 2008
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