Mass incarceration is a pressing issue highlighted by sociologist Bruce Western, who discusses the reality of prison life for young black men in the United States. In his presentation, Western illustrates how incarceration has become a common experience for black youth. He argues that from the very beginning, the freedoms of black men and women in America were never fully established, and this lack of liberty continues to persist today.

The following are facts about mass incarceration in the U.S every year.

Facts About Mass Incarceration

1. There are more than 2.4 million people behind bars in America.
2. Since 1980, the number of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons has quadrupled.
3. The incarceration rate in the United States is more than four times higher than the incarceration rate in the U.K. and more than six times higher than the incarceration rate in Canada.
4. Approximately 12 million people cycle through local jails in the U.S. annually.
5. The United States has the largest prison population and the highest incarceration rate worldwide.
6. Approximately one out of every four prisoners are in U.S. prisons, but the United States only accounts for about five percent of the global population.
7. Maryland (total population of 5.9 million) has more prisoners than Iraq (total population of 31.9 million).
8. Ohio (total population 11.6 million) has more prisoners than Pakistan (total population 192.1 million).

African American Males

1. Incredibly, 41 percent of all young people in America have been arrested by the time they turn 23.
2. An astounding 37.2 percent of African-American men aged 20 to 34 with less than a high school education were incarcerated in 2008.
3. At this point, private prison companies operate more than 50 percent of all “youth correctional facilities” in this nation.
4. More African-Americans are under “correctional supervision” right now than were in slavery in the United States in 1850.
5. The incarceration rate for African-American men is more than six times higher than for white men’s.
6. Between 1990 and 2009, the number of Americans in private prisons increased by about 1600 percent.
7. Approximately 90 percent of those held in prisons in the United States are men.
8. Police in New York City conducted nearly 700,000 “stop-and-frisk searches” in 2011 alone.
9. The “SWATification” of America has gotten completely and totally out of control. For example, in 1980, there were only about 3,000 SWAT raids in the United States for the entire year. Today, more than 80,000 SWAT raids are in the United States every year.
10. Illegal immigrants make up approximately 30 percent of the total population in our federal, state, and local prisons.
11. The average “minimum security” inmate in federal prison costs U.S. taxpayers $21,000 annually.
12. The average “maximum security” inmate in federal prison costs U.S. taxpayers $33,000 annually.
13. Keeping these people locked up costs more than 60 billion dollars annually.

The Rise in The Rate of Incarceration

Mass incarceration in the United States increased dramatically between 1980 and 2011, with the number of people incarcerated rising from 500,000 to 2.2 million. This surge in incarceration rates has disproportionately affected individuals and communities of color. According to a study by the Pew Center on the States in 2008, one out of every 106 white males aged 18 or older is incarcerated. For Hispanic males in the same age group, the statistic is one in every 36, while for black males, it is one in every 15.

In many of the largest cities across the United States, more than half of young black men are either currently in the correctional system or have been released but are now facing the stigma of a criminal record. Infowars…