It's probably the worst, most indefensible aspect of contemporary American society. Inhumane, utterly biased on racial grounds, and largely driven by profit motive - and even the best among us don't care. At all. The jail reform movement today has about as much traction as the gay rights movement in 1960, which is to say, there is no jail reform movement.

There are bad people out there, and something has to be done with them, but this can't be it. All the non-violent offenders...I won't even start.

• http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/06/an-american-gulag-descending-into-madness-at-supermax/258323/