Mass incarcerations | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America, the greatest country in the world. However, I am ashamed that although the United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population, we have 25 percent of the world's prison population.

In 2009, our incarceration rate was 754 per 100,000 people. Japan had a rate of 59. Why is there such a disparity?

Many of our prisoners simply do not deserve to spend years incarcerated. They pose no threat to society, are not in danger of re-offending and could be rehabilitated through therapy and classes they could be required to take.

The U.S. spends more than $70 billion a year on corrections without any clear evidence of benefit. At a time when our country's economy is in jeopardy, we should release prisoners who pose no threat and who could contribute to our economy rather than draining it.

Prison reform is desperately needed. It makes no sense to take such a hard line with prisoners who are in little danger of re-offending. Mass incarceration needs to come to an end.

Miriam Greenland

Highland