Bad Boys Jailed

We keep puttin' bad boys away right and left.

Almost 7 million adults are in the US punishment system now— locked up, or on parole or probation.

That's approximately 1 in every 32 adults.

By race, it stacks up this way: about 2 percent of white males are in prison. Almost 8 percent of Hispanic males, and close to 17 percent of black males. There's something very uncivilized about 17 percent of one race being in prison.

Of the 7 million adults in the system nationally, one million are in California and Texas.

Texas definitely has an impressive incarceration rate. Of every 100-thousand population, we lock up 1,013. The Russians lock up 638. South Africa 404. Iran 229. Texas again, 1,013.

Never in history have so many Americans and Texans been behind bars, or on parole or probation. I wonder whether that's because of better law enforcement, or because people aren't raising their kids to respect our laws.

Brad Messer, commentary, KTSA.