This is mind-boggling! The number of Americans incarcerated has grown by almost 8 times from 1972 to 2014, outpacing the growth of the total US population by 5 times! Five times the rate of general population growth! The US has the largest prison population in the world by far, in terms of both absolute number AND as a percentage of population. Think of all those wasted lives! Wasted, even if it's a poor kid caught with a bag of some substance, even if just marijuana still in most states: wasted, even when he or she gets out of prison! They've got a criminal record, which, even if minor, means that they will never be able to get a normal job, never be able to comfortably raise a family and provide their kids with a real childhood, never be able to get older with a bit of confidence in the future and retire with a bit of comfort and a sense of having had a full life. Totally wasted for a tiny little thing! This is disgusting.
— Gabriel Fenteany, April 26, 2016
