America’s Shame: Louisiana Is the World’s Prison Capital
Louisiana Is the World’s Prison Capital
By Cindy Chang, The Times-Picayune
May 13, 2012
Louisiana’s incarceration rate is nearly triple Iran’s, seven times China’s and 10 times Germany’s.
Louisiana is the world’s prison capital. The state imprisons more of its people, per head, than any of its U.S. counterparts. First among Americans means first in the world. Louisiana’s incarceration rate is nearly triple Iran’s, seven times China’s and 10 times Germany’s.
Inmates: Richland Parish Detention Center (Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
The hidden engine behind the state’s well-oiled prison machine is cold, hard cash. A majority of Louisiana inmates are housed in for-profit facilities, which must be supplied with a constant influx of human beings or a $182 million industry will go bankrupt.
Several homegrown private prison companies command a slice of the market. But in a uniquely Louisiana twist, most prison entrepreneurs are rural sheriffs, who hold tremendous sway in remote parishes like Madison, Avoyelles, East Carroll and Concordia. A good portion of Louisiana law enforcement is financed with dollars legally skimmed off the top of prison operations.