Facts About Prisons

- Two million people are currently in prison nationwide.

- Two states, Texas and California, account for 3/4 of these prisoners. California is far and away the most populous state, 36 million people. Texas is tied for second, with New York.

- Texas introduced more people INTO its penal system during the 90s than New York State had in toto during that decade.

- Nationwide, a black man in 6 times more likely to be incarcerated nationwide than white men. In Texas, you can triple that statistic and still come up short.

- The town of Tulia, TX has 500 black people. 2/5 of them have felony records, mostly for drug arrests, in a town of 50,000. Estimates indicate that, of those felony convictions, less than 1/2 of one percent were actual crimes committed without duress or entrapment.

Think about this as you celebrate American freedom...and someone remind me WHY Texas is an state in our union?