incarceration – AmericanDelusions

More on our status as Number One in Incarceration – Jon Stewart

March 27, 2023

Another few minutes with a comedian. This time it’s Jon Stewart. Prison Is America’s Real Cancel Culture | The Problem with Jon Stewart Here is a screen grab: Drop over to the Prison Policy Initiative for an in-depth look at the state of incarceration in America. Especially troubling are the --->> read more -->>

The State of Mass Incarceration – 2022

March 14, 2022

Prison Policy Initiative released a new report on the state of incarceration in 2022. (graphics from prison policy.org) Over 80% of those in Local Jails are waiting for trial – they’ve been convicted of nothing other than not having the money to buy their way out of jail. Drugs still --->> read more -->>

Briefly Noted

Recently Noted – Serial the Podcast – More Evidence of the Delusion of Justice –

November 4, 2018

We have written earlier about the fact that effective legal representation and trial by jury is a rarity making one of our cultural icons a complete sham. As Jed Rakoff has noted: In actuality, our criminal justice system is almost exclusively a system of plea bargaining, negotiated behind closed doors --->> read more -->>

Opioids and White Privilege – Lock’em Up vs. Treatment

December 12, 2017

Opioids and White Privilege The arrival of opioids as a national concern might focus your attention on the role of drug companies, doctors, and hospitals in creating this new addiction path. In the October 30 New Yorker Patrick Radden Keefe provides a through introduction to this in his piece, “The --->> read more -->>

Recently Noted – women in prison in the US – more on mass incarceration

November 21, 2017

“If New York were a separate country, its incarceration rate [for women] would be the 8th highest in the world. A woman in New York is 12 times more likely to be incarcerated than she would be in France.” The Prison Policy Initiative has released a new study “Women’s Mass --->> read more -->>

The US Wins Again – Incarceration in Global Context

October 4, 2017

The US Wins Again – Incarceration in Global Context Americans love to think of the country as No 1 in every dimension. Richest, most powerful, most freedom, most dynamic economy, best healthcare, best sports teams, best education and on and on…… there are some things that we are No. 1 --->> read more -->>

The Rule of Law, Justice, American Delusions

June 27, 2017

Fairness, an equal shake, blind justice, jury of peers, rule of law…Amendments IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and XIV…. these are all ubiquitous and universally applauded features of American life. Like blind lady justice they are ubiquitous in every area of our culture. This system of justice makes us superior --->> read more -->>

Justice in America – Not

April 5, 2017

A central dogma of American politics and culture is the rule of law. The ever present blind scales of justice are trotted out with such regularity that the briefest glimpse serves to remind us that we live in a country with a uniquely fair and just system of law. Of --->> read more -->>