US is ‘the world’s leading jailer:’ HRW

“The new incarceration figures confirm the United States as the world’s leading jailer,” said David Fahti, HRW’s US program director.

“Americans should ask why the US locks up so many more people than do Canada, Britain, and other democracies,” he added.

The newly released figures show a sharp racial imbalance in the US prison population, with blacks outnumbering whites by six to one.

Nearly 11 per cent of black men aged 30-34 are in prison, according to Justice Department figures.

HRW said blacks in the United States are 12 times more likely to be sent to jail for drug-related crimes than whites, even though drug use among the two races is about the same.

“Although whites, being more numerous, constitute the large majority of drug users, blacks constitute 54 percent of all persons entering state prisons with a new drug offence conviction,” the rights group said.