Land of the Free? Far from it.The Dividing Line's latest: Why the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
If all the people incarcerated in the United States lived in one city, it would be the 5th largest city in the nation. As of 2022, there are 1.8 million people incarcerated in the United States, or slightly larger than Phoenix, Arizona (1.6M). While mass incarceration is often justified as a strategy to improve public safety, its impact in many cases has been deeply harmful. Long prison sentences, limited rehabilitative services, and inefficient crime reporting systems show how mass incarceration often undermines its stated goal of reducing harm. These visuals are all interactive and available with more information at this link here.
The increase in incarceration began in the late 1970s when the Nixon administration declared a ‘war on drugs’ and promised to be ‘tough on crime’. In 1980 the incarcerated population exploded, with a huge increase for the next 30 years. Mandatory minimums, three strike laws, and low-level drug offenses put far more behind bars than ever. Across the country, in all states, from large cities to small towns, incarceration grew. But even with these punitive measures, the violent crime rate also continued to increase. The US has a higher incarceration rate than El Salvador or Rwanda.
Several countries experienced a similar increase in crime between 1972 and 1991, but very few expanded incarceration in the same way as the US. Even as crime rates fell between 1991 and 2009, incarceration continued to expand. Compared to other countries, the US has a significantly higher incarceration rate when controlling for the nation’s violent crime rate. The US has a higher incarceration rate than El Salvador or Rwanda. Even in places like Botswana or Ecuador that have far higher violent crime rates that are triple and quadruple what they are in America, their incarceration rates are one-third lower.
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana have the highest incarceration rates in the United States. 17 states have a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the world.
Black and Latino individuals are incarcerated more than 5 times the rate of people who are White. This reflects long standing issues of racial bias in our policies and policing. Punitive policies often involve targeting minority groups. While the US has a long history of incarcerating Black Americans, law enforcement agencies have recently turned their gaze onto immigrant communities. However, research shows that immigrants, many of whom are people of color, have a lower crime rate than native born Americans.
Closing ThoughtsMass Incarceration has not been shown to improve public safety. Increasing punitive measures often deepens challenges faced by individuals and communities, while doing little to prevent future crime. Having more research-based policies with proven results and investments in rehabilitation is the only way we can move forward. While incarceration rates have been falling, the US is still struggling with a multi-decade long legacy of mass incarceration. Mike Wessler at the Prison Policy Initiative has the final word on America’s choice for the future:
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