US = Five Percent Global Population And 25 Percent Global Prison Population - More Than China

By Tom Foremski - May 3, 2008

This is astonishing. Somebody should raise this issue during this political campaign.

Adam Liptak reporting in the New York Times April 23 2008. (What a great intro...)

- Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations’ - New York Times

The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.

. . . Americans are locked up for crimes — from writing bad checks to using drugs — that would rarely produce prison sentences in other countries. And in particular they are kept incarcerated far longer than prisoners in other nations.

. . . The United States has, for instance, 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International Center for Prison Studies at King’s College London. China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison.

. . . It [US] has 751 people in prison or jail for every 100,000 in population. (If you count only adults, one in 100 Americans is locked up.)

The only other major industrialized nation that even comes close is Russia, with 627 prisoners for every 100,000 people. The others have much lower rates. England’s rate is 151; Germany’s is 88; and Japan’s is 63.

Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations’ - New York Times

Hat Tip Dave Galbraigh's Smashing Telly - My number one fave 2008Watch Web Site.


Share this article

By Tom Foremski - May 3, 2008 | Permalink | Category: Culture Watch
| SVW Newsfeed | SVW Toolbar | SVW Newsletter | SVW Mobile

Comments (4)

Couldn't this be because our police are so effective at solving crimes? I once saw that something like 80% of all violent crimes get solved in the US, whereas in China, I believe it is more like 20%. This alone might explain why the US has four times as many people incarcerated per capita as China. Right?


Tom Foremski:

China Law Blog: Yes, you might be right. I know some of our US companies such as Yahoo have tried to help China lock up more people...


Melic:

The UK has the highest incarceration rate in Europe with 151, so it does not look as good as it may seem if you live in Europe.

Congratulations to the FBI on solving so much crime anyway, Germany with 88 and Japan with 63 are obviously very dangerous places where you can get shot anytime.


Tom Foremski:

Melic: Your British ironic humor is so wonderful. However, you miss the point. Now that this information is out there all the criminals in the US will move to Britain, Germany. and Japan. I would if I was in that profession. Their chances of being banged up in the big house are very low--just look at the numbers. Once they've gone we don't let them back in. Just as Cuba did when they let Scarface et al move to Florida.


Post a comment