How 50 years of mass incarceration devastated American society | The Chris Hedges Report

Fifty years ago, the United States embarked on a path of mass incarceration that has led to a staggering increase in the prison population. Today, almost 2 million individuals—disproportionately Black Americans—are incarcerated in our nation’s prisons and jails. The prison population has grown 500% since 1973, the year America began to sharply increase its prison population. “The social, moral, and fiscal costs associated with the large-scale, decades-long investment in mass imprisonment,” The Sentencing Project notes, “cannot be justified by any evidence of its effectiveness. Misguided changes in sentencing law and policy—not crime—account for the majority of the increase in correctional supervision.” The Sentencing Project and a coalition of advocates, experts, and partners are launching a public education campaign, “50 Years and a Wake Up: Ending The Mass Incarceration Crisis In America,” to raise awareness about the dire state of the US criminal legal system and the devastating impact of incarceration on communities and families, and to propose more effective crime prevention strategies for our country. Liz Komar, a former assistant district attorney in Brooklyn and now the sentencing reform counsel at The Sentencing Project, joins “The Chris Hedges Report” to discuss the monstrous realities of the US system of mass incarceration. Link to report: Studio Production: David Hebden, Adam Coley, Cameron Granadino Post-Production: Adam Coley Opening Sequence by: Cameron Granadino Watch The Chris Hedges Report live YouTube premiere on The Real News Network every Friday at 12PM ET: Listen to episode podcasts and find bonus content at The Chris Hedges Report Substack: The Real News is an independent, viewer-supported, radical media network. Help us continue producing The Chris Hedges Report by following us and making a small donation: Donate to TRNN: Sign up for our newsletter: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: #chrishedges #therealnewsnetwork