One in every 75 American men in jail as US prison population grows to 2.1m

AMERICA’S prison population grew by 2.9% last year to almost 2.1 million people, with one in every 75 men living in prison or jail.

Almost one in eight black men in their 20s were in jail compared with one in 60 white men of the same age.

The inmate population continued its rise despite a fall in the crime rate and many states’ efforts to reduce some sentences, especially for low-level drug offenders.