America now has the biggest prison population in the world. The majority of those behind bars are non-violent offenders, two thirds are African American or Latino. It is a failing system. The UK should pay attention, argues investigative journalist and author Eric Schlosser, because it's the only country in the western world that's imitating American correctional practices. Why do prisons matter? Because most prisoners will one day walk free and what you do to them behind bars has consequences



Eric's latest book, Command & Control: Nuclear Weapons and the Illusion of Safety, is out now. His next book will be on the American prison system