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New at Reason: Veronique de Rugy on American Incarceration Rates
In 2009, according to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, there were 1,524,513 prisoners in state and federal
prisons. When local jails are included, the total climbs to
2,284,913. These numbers are not just staggering; they are far
above those of any other liberal democracy in both absolute and per
capita terms. The International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s
College London calculates that the United States has an
incarceration rate of 743 per 100,000 people, compared to 325 in
Israel, 217 in Poland, 154 in England and Wales, 96 in France, 71
in Denmark, and 32 in India. From our July issue, economics
columnist Veronique de Rugy looks at the costs and benefits of
leading the world in locking up human beings.
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