Sure there are. There are a lot of innocent people in there as well. The current rate of incarceration in the US cannot be defended -- we're number one in the world. The profit motive certainly doesn't help. And just as we were about to turn a corner by Obama rolling back for-profit prisons, we have a new gang in town that wants to ratchet the whole thing back up again.

The vast majority of convictions are due to plea-bargains. You're poor, your innocent, you can't afford a decent attorney. They're going to throw the book at you -- or you can plea down for 1/4 of the time. Would you take those odds? It works.

And it's not just minorities these days, the fastest growing demographic behind bars is white males.

BBC NEWS | In Depth

http://www.economist.com/news/leader...ilhouse-nation

http://www.economist.com/blogs/econo...ist-explains-8

To answer the request for a citation, it's 96%
Stronger Hand for Judges After Rulings on Plea Deals - The New York Times