Worldwide Incarceration Rate, War on Drugs, the Cost, Law Inc

In the United States, the prison population has increased from 300,000 in 1972 to 2.3 million people today. One in 31 adults in the United States is in jail, prison, on probation or parole. The American government currently spends over 68 billion dollars a year on incarceration.

Growing evidence indicates that drug treatment and counseling programs are far more effective in reducing drug addiction and abuse than is incarceration. Needle exchange, compulsory treatment, education, counseling, drug substitutes like Methadone or Naxolene have proved highly effective in reducing addiction, overdose and the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C

Over five million people are on probation and parole in America.3 Currently, one out of 100 adults is in jail or prison and one out of 31 adults is in jail, prison on probation or parole.4 The consequences of increased incarceration and penal control strategies have been dramatic and costly. Many states spend in excess of $50,000 a year to incarcerate each prisoner in a state prison or facility, including non-violent, low-level drug offenders. Corrections spending by state and federal governments has risen from $6.9 billion in 1980 to $68 billion in 2006 in America.5 During the ten year period between 1985 and 1995, prisons were constructed at a pace of one new prison opening each week.

In the United States, drug arrests have tripled in the last 25 years, however most of these arrests have been for simple possession of low-level drugs. In 2005, nearly 43% of all drug arrests were for marijuana offenses. Marijuana possession arrests accounted for 79% of the growth in drug arrests in the 1990s.11 Nearly a half million people are in state or federal prisons or a local jail for a drug offense, compared to 41,000 in 1980.12 Most of these people have no history of violence or high-level drug selling activity.

$68 billion that can be used else where in society, instead of promoting Law Inc. Private prisons.Since the war on drugs which has been enhanced and started by most Republican presidents has been the cause of the high increase of incarcerations. Heroin in the biggest problem in overdosing, spread of HIV and Hep B and C. Prisons, policing, lawyers, court procecutions are big business and in some counties, judges having stake in the profiteering in the system. If we regulated and legalized drugs and treated it as a sickness, there would be less stress on America society.