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America’s imprisoned population grew at a faster rate during the 1990s than during any decade in recorded history, according to new data released by the Justice Policy Institute. The US entered the 1990s with 1,145,300 inmates in its jails and prisons, and on December 31, 1999, there will be an estimated 1,983,084 adults behind bars. The Institute estimates that America’s incarcerated population will top 2 million on approximately February 15, 2000.

The prison growth during the 1990s dwarfed the growth of any previous decade; it exceeded the prison growth of the 1980s by 61 percent, and is nearly 30 times the average prison population growth of any decade prior to the 1970s. read more

The controversy surrounding President Clinton’s clemency for FALN (Armed Forces of National Liberation) prisoners has created a smoke screen around the issue of US Navy presence on Vieques, Puerto Rico. In September, Rev.

Jesse Jackson questioned Clinton’s sudden decision to release the prisoners during an ecumenical prayer service in New York. Conveniently, the offer came on the same day Jackson and the Archbishop of San Juan, Roberto Gonzalez Nieves, were to leave for Vieques. But Clinton’s diversionary tactic may only temporarily stall a growing movement to remove the Navy from this small island off the coast of San Juan. read more

For Panama, the end of the millennium should be a time of celebration. After all, when Old Glory slides down the Panama Canal Commission flagpole for the last time at noon on December 31, the US will complete the most significant territorial concession in its history – the surrender of 430,000 acres of prime real estate straddling the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Finally gone will be 11,000 US armed forces personnel based at the headquarters of the US Southern Command. This will make it the first time since the 1800s that the US doesn’t have a military presence on the Panamanian isthmus. read more

Our lives are haunted by secrets — things kept from us by society, friends, even our own families. Just when we think the whole story is on the table, another revelation can force us to reconsider how we look at the world, our leaders, and ourselves.