The U.S. Prison Population - By The Numbers (w/Infographic)By Joe Wright America holds 25% of the worlds prison population and only 5% of its overall population. The number of prisoners held in private prisons has risen dramatically over the past 10 years from 2,000 housed in 5 private prisons, to more than 60,000 housed in 100. It is a number expected to rise to 360,000 prisoners over the next decade. (Source) Moreover, as the economy declines, there has even been a revival ofdebtors prisons, formally abolished in the early 1800s. Even more troubling is the heightenedcriminalization of childrenfor behavior which previously was considered merely a nuisance, not something worthy of handcuffs and the Big House. The U.S. prison business has become the essence of predatory corporatism: itprivatizes profits and socializes losses. This combination has led to a situation where correctional facilities have very little incentive to correct behavior, but every incentive to ensure that new bodies arrive as fast as possible and keep them in a state of indentured servitude. The Infographic below dissects the worlds largest prison population, offering a stark condemnation of the Land of the Free. One statistic to note is that actual violent crime and property crimes have been declining, but the prison population continues to explode. So where are all of these new criminals coming from? A nation that still purports to be the Land of the Free simply cannot continue to say that with a straight face when it has literally invested in slavery. A predatory system even if some believe it only preys on other predators can only lead to a ruined social landscape like that of Louisiana. If left unchecked, this predator is guaranteed to consume any part of the American landscape that buys into placing a monetary value on an expanding prison slave system. 