It seems to me that Buzzfeed should not be the only one to publish lists of things. So today, welcome to Prison Culturefeed’s list of 7 things you should know about the prison industrial complex.

1. The U.S. locks up more people than any other country in the world.

2. We especially like to lock up black people.

3. The “drug war” is costly and has helped to accelerate the growth of the prison industrial complex.

4. The “drug war” also targets black people more than any other racial group.

5. Thirty years ago there were almost no private prisons. That has changed. The Sentencing Project reports that:”Private prisons held over 128,000 prisoners in 2010, representing an 80 percent increase since 1999.” People of color are even more disproportionately targeted by private prisons.

6. As the “War on Drugs” intensified, the numbers of women in prison increased markedly.

7. Our jails and prisons have become the top mental health providers in the country. More Americans receive mental health treatment in our nation’s jails and prisons than in hospitals or community-based organizations.

Special bonus:
Louisiana has the highest rate of incarceration in the U.S and Maine has the lowest rate.