Americans often label their country the “Land of the Free.” Seeing that almost 1 percent of the population is behind bars, is this phrase still applicable?
America has quickly become the incarceration capital of the world, although our nation was founded on the principle of liberty. Government once was the protector of our rights, but it now seeks to keep us from harming ourselves, resulting in an unprecedented increase in both prisoner population and prison funding.
While the United States holds 5 percent of the world’s population, it possesses around 25 percent of the world’s inmates. Even more alarming, Louisiana arrests more of its citizens than any other state in the country, with a rate of nearly 850 prisoners per 100,000 people.
Why have these rates skyrocketed? Are we that much more violent and barbaric than other countries?
We aren’t. The problem lies not with the people or their guns, but with the ridiculous laws that now encompass nearly every action one can take.
Since 1980, the American inmate population has more than quadrupled due to outrageous laws that incriminate non-violent offenses; this has been a disaster for both the prisoner and the taxpayer.
As the incarceration system increases, so must its funding; this means you, the future graduate, will have to contribute more of your paycheck to fund the grossly oversized prison system.
It began in 1970 when one of the largest attacks on the individual was waged with the passing of the Controlled Substances Act. The Nixon administration turned drugs, once seen as recreational and medicinal, into the enemy of our society.
With the creation of the Drug Enforcement Agency and multiple new laws, previously innocent civilians were now deemed threats to the public and were quickly thrown into prison without ever harming another person.
Even more shameful than the laws themselves is the hypocrisy surrounding the issue. As of 2008, nearly 91 percent of federal prisoners were incarcerated for non-violent crimes. While most prisoners serve time due to drug-related offenses, alcohol kills far more people per year and remains legal.
Shouldn’t we then outlaw beer, bacon, ice cream and driving? Many more deaths are attributed to those each year, but in no way should their use be illegal.
Our Constitution states that one has a right to life and the pursuit of happiness. This includes ingesting or injecting what one desires, so long as that doesn’t harm anyone else in the process.
But now, something as minor as lighting up cannabis can get one sent to federal prison. Over the last two decades, funds toward correctional institutes have increased twice as much as those toward higher education in Louisiana.
In 2013, 29 percent of the Department of Justice’s budget was spent on the Bureau of Prisons — a new record. Not only do state and federal prisons require funding from its citizens, those funds could potentially come at the expense of higher education.
And instead of educating, rehabilitating and preparing inmates for post-prison life, our government fails to integrate any serious education system into prison.
If police are going to arrest innocent civilians for committing non-violent crimes, at least provide adequate housing and respect them.
There is no question that both our court and prison systems are flawed and corrupted. From irrational laws to private prisons, much needs to be addressed.
Incarceration rates and hostility will continue to rise until the right to life is respected. If government is going to spend money, shouldn’t it be toward higher education instead of larger prisons?
It’s time we begin to protect those fundamental liberties outlined in the Constitution instead of outlawing them.
Andrew Stolzle is a 20-year-old mechanical engineering junior from Baton Rouge.