Racially, things are even worse. In historical perspective, the 899,000 African Americans incarcerated today are nine times the number of 98,000 in 1954, the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. So there are now 900% more blacks in prison today than there were 50 years ago, while the black population has only doubled, or increased 100%.
Put another way, you can say that a black person is nine times more likely to be held a prisoner today in the U.S. than they were in 1954.
The huge surge in incarcerations are almost all due to punitive and racist laws that criminalize behavior that is considered to be minor in other countries. Among this are non-violent drug offenses, and the notorious three strikes laws. For example, again using info from the sentencing project, in California, which has a three strikes law, "the third "strike" of more than half (57%) of these persons is for a non-violent offense. In one recent case, Santo Reyes was sentenced to 26 years to life for trying to take the written portion of a driver's license test for his illiterate cousin. Reyes had previously had a juvenile burglary conviction in 1981 and an adult robbery conviction in 1987.
In America we have imprisoned for life a man who committed two robberies in 24 years, and then tried to take a written license test for his illiterate cousin.
Abu Ghraib is not the aberration on the soul of America. So long as we tolerate such gross violations of liberty with our prison state, America will produce a stream of Abu Ghraibs, only most will remain safely hidden behind the prison walls.
Is it any wonder that the abusers put in charge were civilian prison guards before they were called up in the National Guard. They had learned their abuse in America.
