The biggest U.S. scandal -- we have a quarter of the world's prisoners

With 4% of the world's population, America has 25% of the world's prison population. That's more prisoners than South Africa had under apartheid, or Russia under Communism. It's a world record in all of human history -- a statistic that should be tattooed on every American's forehead.

What does this mean? That we are the most criminal nation on earth?

It may mean we lock up too many people for stupid stuff -- for non-victim 'crimes' like doing drugs. Or that our sentences are simply too long, as one judge tried to explain the reason for our big prison population to me. But is that the whole explanation? Or are their deeper wrongs in the state of the U.S.?

Imprisonment is a growth industry. In 2001, 2.7% of adults in the U.S. had been in prison, up from 1.8% in 1991 and 1.3% in 1974.

What does this mean? That we are becoming a more criminal nation year after year?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 32% of black males will enter prison during their lifetime; 17% of Hispanic males; and 5.9% of white males. In other words, one third of black men can expect to be in jail during their life time if they live in the United States. Blacks, Latinos, Chicanos and other people of color and the poor get the bluntest end of the nightstick. Cops stop, arrest and charge on a racial bias. Decisions about the death penalty go by race and class. Sentencing decisions about probation and jail time reflect the same racial biases. In 1986 the Supreme Court had to finally outlaw the practice of routinely removing blacks from the jury. Prior to 1986, the courts routinely ignored the practice. Not that prosecutors have given up racist challenges to potential jurors to this very day. And the courts just let it happen.

What does this mean? That we are the most racist nation on earth?

In the U.S. prisoners are consistently jailed miles away from their loved ones. Family members have to travel hundreds of miles to visit jailed members, and then they're often denied access on technicalities. When attorneys want to visit their clients, prison officials regularly create obstacles. Authorization for visits disappear on the day the attorney arrives. Private attorney-client rooms are denied. Visits are cut off short. Video cameras and guards monitor private meetings. The treatment of prisoners at Gitmo is a symptom of how our prisoners are treated all over. For example, prison officials do nothing to control prison rape. Judges might as well come clean and say, "You are sentenced to ten years, which means ten years of being brutally raped in prison. But if you're a big, strong guy, you get ten years to enjoy raping any man in prison you want."

What does this mean? That our prison system is totally inhumane, unfair and sadistic?

Think about that statistic again. We have 4% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prison population. What does it say about us? Can we truly say we have 'justice' in America?