Private Prison Complex receives terrible news.

[Aractus]

It's silly to get hung up on that, Danny.  Why in 2014 alone 1,111 people were killed by the cops with out all that messy, costly and inconvenient trial stuff.

http://www.killedbypolice.net/kbp2014.html

Well that's a separate issue, but yes it perfectly illustrates my point about just how recessive the USA is in the context of the modern world. As for 'land of the free': "according to the 2014 Legatum Prosperity Index released in November [2014], in the measure of personal freedom, the United States has fallen from 9th place in 2010 to 21st worldwide" (Free Thought Project, link in 1st sentence). Australia ranked 3rd. The report laughably rates the USA's Health Prosperity as 1st, and Australia as 1st for Education, so I'd take those figures with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, things like locking OJ up for "33 years" (in reality the remainder of his natural life) for what amounted to a petty crime, and noting that OJ had no criminal history, to me proves there's a huge disparity between enforcement of the law and justice that clearly imposes itself upon the freedom of society. It also suggest to me that a key principle of free society and a human right ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat (presumption of innocence) is de facto ignored by the so-called 'justice system' in the USA.

You have a layered problem:

A deep problem of corruption at the political level
A deep problem of police brutality and violence at the law enforcement level
A deep problem of an unjust system at the legislative and court levels; leading to unjust convictions and exorbitant gaol terms
A deep problem of failing to rehabilitate and educate offenders at the state prison level

It should be noted that I am well aware that there are some prisons in the USA with a strong focus on getting prisoners rehabilitated, education, and help for addictions. Sadly though the underlying cause of criminal behaviour goes untreated in the majority of prisoners with a laissez-faire approach to prisoner well-being. This despite the fact that rehabilitating and releasing prisoners helps society by: reducing the cost of incarceration; reducing crime by preventing re-offending; and increasing prosperity by producing productive members of society. Hopefully one day Americans will wake up and realise they are the 'leaders of the world', and should look to other countries for inspiration to improve their tumultuous society.