Us Prison System
How does the US prison system compare to other countries?
Starting in the 1970’s policies were created that initiated incarceration of Americans at a phenomenal rate. For example, the US incarcerated population is remarkably greater than China and Brazil, with over 2 million inmates compared to 1.7 million and 760,000, respectively . In the United States, 716 are incarcerated per 100,000 population, significantly higher than in other countries. I will compare the US prison system to Chine, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
The United States prison system is important to policing because the issue of the over population of prisons is partly due to strict drug laws. Keeping theses laws in place does not only harm members of the community but continues to put police officers in potential danger when enforcing the laws.
