[Video] Shocking Facts About the US Prison System
On Sunday, after accepting his Academy Award for his song “Glory” in the film “Selma”, John Legend called for reform to the US criminal justice system. In his speech, he stated: “There are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850.”
Today there are 1.7 million black men under some form of correctional control such as probation or parole, excluding those held in jail. In 1850, there were roughly 870,000 black men at least 15 years old who were enslaved. The population as a whole has grown significantly since those days, but the point still remains.
This infographic video deals with the US Prison System and has a number of shocking facts. The US has 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prison population. This makes the US the world’s largest jailer.
Since 1970 the American prison population has risen 700%. Despite Hispanic and African-Americans making up one-fourth of the population, it turns out they make up a disproportionate 58% of prisoners.
Original graphics by: The Infographics Show
