--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The percentage of Americans in the prison…" description: "\"The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985\" — Serj Tankian" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png" --- # The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison… ![“The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985” quote by Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png) > “The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985” [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The U.S. prison population has doubled since 1985, highlighting systemic issues in criminal justice. **In simple terms:** Prison numbers have sharply increased. Key Takeaway Advocate for reform and reduced incarceration. Themes justice systemic inequality incarceration Mood urgent concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - legislative reform - community programs - public awareness Key Concepts mass incarceration policy failure Questions to Reflect On - What policies contributed to this rise? - How can society address root causes? A Different Perspective Complex causes make simple solutions insufficient. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [The percentage of Americans in the prison system, has doubled since 1985.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-prison-system-has-doubled-since/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [The one public system in which America goes out of its way to provide services to African-Americans is prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/the-one-public-system-in-which-america-goes-out-of-its-way-to-provide/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [“Newton: but a lot of the guys here were in prison before they came here and they’ll still be in prison when they leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bates/newton-but-a-lot-of-the-guys-here-were-in-prison-before-they-came/) [Laura Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bates/) > [“No, by God, it is false! It wasn't a minuet that we stepped; it was a prison - a prison full of screaming hysterics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/no-by-god-it-is-false-it-wasn-t-a-minuet-that-we-stepped-it-was-a/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [Since 1994, unemployment rates are lower. Median household income is higher. A greater percentage of Americans are graduating from college. Home ownership rates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-stearns/since-1994-unemployment-rates-are-lower-median-household-income-is/) [Cliff Stearns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-stearns/) > [In seven years, we'll have the highest percentage of Americans non-native born since the founding of the republic. And some people think, "Well, we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/in-seven-years-we-ll-have-the-highest-percentage-of-americans-non/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [“The percentage of Americans 16 and over who are working or looking for work was just 62.8 percent, the lowest level since the late 1970s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-percentage-of-americans-16-and-over-who-are-working-or-looking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Veels vithin veels, a prison in a prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/veels-vithin-veels-a-prison-in-a-prison/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [People always think about what prison is. What prison really is - it's not a physical challenge, it's mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hill-harper/people-always-think-about-what-prison-is-what-prison-really-is-it-s/) [Hill Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hill-harper/) > [“A comfortable prison was still a prison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-comfortable-prison-was-still-a-prison/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The cruelest prison of all is the prison of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piri-thomas/the-cruelest-prison-of-all-is-the-prison-of-the-mind/) [Piri Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piri-thomas/) > [“The world of the Takers is one vast prison, and except for a handful of Leavers scattered across the world, the entire human race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/the-world-of-the-takers-is-one-vast-prison-and-except-for-a-handful/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [They released me early because I was a threat to the prison. The whole prison was on lockdown. It was actually really scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khloe-kardashian/they-released-me-early-because-i-was-a-threat-to-the-prison-the-whole/) [Khloe Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khloe-kardashian/) > [I do not wish to remove from my present prison to a prison a little larger. I wish to break all prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-do-not-wish-to-remove-from-my-present-prison-to-a-prison-a-little/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There is, on the whole, nothing on earth intended for innocent people so horrible as a school. To begin with, it is a prison.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/there-is-on-the-whole-nothing-on-earth-intended-for-innocent-people/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More by Serj Tankian > [I like African music, and I'm a huge Ravi Shankar fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-like-african-music-and-i-m-a-huge-ravi-shankar-fan/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [As an artist, you never want to write the same song again, you always want to challenge yourself to writing in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/as-an-artist-you-never-want-to-write-the-same-song-again-you-always/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [“I've had people come up to me with the strangest interpretations of what my lyrics might mean, and I'm like, "You go! I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-ve-had-people-come-up-to-me-with-the-strangest-interpretations-of/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Forgivness is The ultimate sacrifice. Eloquence belongs, To the conqueror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/forgivness-is-the-ultimate-sacrifice-eloquence-belongs-to-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [With rock music, the amount of power that you can generate, the intensity behind the intentions of your lyrics that you can really reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/with-rock-music-the-amount-of-power-that-you-can-generate-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I don't find most people to be as politically engaged as I am. I do find people that appreciate eye-opening events and words, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-don-t-find-most-people-to-be-as-politically-engaged-as-i-am-i-do/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [In the last few years I've been listening to jazz more than anything else. I listen to a lot of world music and experimental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/in-the-last-few-years-i-ve-been-listening-to-jazz-more-than-anything/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Life is that perfect fine line between ironies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/life-is-that-perfect-fine-line-between-ironies/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Pretending that we live doesn't make us alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/pretending-that-we-live-doesn-t-make-us-alive/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I think music is a powerful medium because it co-inspires. It inspires the artist who then inspires the listener, and it's a back-and-forth process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-think-music-is-a-powerful-medium-because-it-co-inspires-it-inspires/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [I think anytime that you go to the extreme of any mode of economics, be it capitalism or communism, you have these feedback mechanisms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/i-think-anytime-that-you-go-to-the-extreme-of-any-mode-of-economics/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [My two interests are spirituality and politics. I would mesh them in some way; maybe try to figure out the politics of spirituality, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-two-interests-are-spirituality-and-politics-i-would-mesh-them-in/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [Political statements are usually more direct, and it works with the upbeat music as well, for some reason, the directness of your statements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/political-statements-are-usually-more-direct-and-it-works-with-the/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [We have the power to change our lives, and the world around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/we-have-the-power-to-change-our-lives-and-the-world-around-us/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) [Explore all 92 Serj Tankian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Serj Tankian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-prison-system-prison-system-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-prison-system-prison-system-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/serj-tankian-7320_america_the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-priso_727618.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The percentage of Americans in the prison system, Prison system, has doubled since 1985” — Serj Tankian", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Serj Tankian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The percentage of Americans in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-prison-system-prison-system-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/the-percentage-of-americans-in-the-prison-system-prison-system-has/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```