America at a turning point as 45 percent of men are arrested by age 23

The United States is known worldwide as a country of laws. It is also a country of prisons with the dubious distinction of having one of the largest prison populations in the world. A new study published this month in the academic journal "Crime & Delinquency" says that, by age 23 almost 38-percent of White men, and 49% of Black men in America have been arrested by the police. The number has been rising steadily, pointing to a trend that has a knock-on effect through the culture. In addition to making the country's citizens wary of its police, the high arrest rate adversely affects job applicants, self-image, and more. It seems unlikely that American youth are more criminally minded than those of other countries around the world, but few American politicians are able to withstand opponents' calls to get "tough on crime," which in turn leads to harsher policing tactics, judging and incarceration. As we have seen time and again, trends usually get more so unless something stops them or changes their course. In New York City, the police tactic of stopping and frisking so many young men, especially black men, was instrumental in the election of that city's new mayor Bill deBlasio. Others like him will probably follow.