Overpopulation In China Essay

The United States of America has less than 5% of the world’s population, but unfortunately has more than 20% of the world’s prison population, making it the country with the highest prison rates in the world (American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU], 2016). To put this in perspective, China has a population of about 1.4 billion people while the United States has a population of about 324 million people; the prison population in the United States is 2.2 million while China has a prison population of 1.7 million (Worldometers, 2016; World Prison Brief, 2016). California reached a peak prison population in 2006 with 173,479 inmates but is currently on the decline due to new policies and reentry programs offered in and out of prisons (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation [CDCR], 2016). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2016) at least 95% of prisoners in the United States will be released from prison at some
87). Former prisoners face many barriers placed upon them by political structures and unequal distribution of power. Many people with felonies are denied access to public assistance such as Social Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, housing, and food stamps (Harding, Wyse, Dobson & Morenoff, 2014). Some of the formerly incarcerated with felonies are also barred from obtaining certain government jobs or licensed occupations. Additionally, some individuals who served their time and are no longer under state supervision are still unable to vote or qualify for student loans (Saxonhouse, 2004). This supports the notion that certain political and social structures contribute to maintaining the powerlessness of this