The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any developed nation. This stark reality holds true even when comparing individual U.S. states to other countries. This article examines America’s prison population in a global context, highlighting the significant disparity in incarceration rates.
Figure 1: Incarceration rates of NATO founding members compared to the United States.
U.S. States: An International Outlier
When comparing incarceration rates per 100,000 people, every U.S. state surpasses most other nations. Even states considered “progressive,” such as New York and Massachusetts, have incarceration rates that exceed those of numerous countries. This trend persists across all U.S. states, indicating a systemic issue rather than regional variations.
While El Salvador holds the highest global incarceration rate, nine U.S. states follow closely behind, surpassing Cuba. In total, 24 U.S. states and three countries (El Salvador, Cuba, and Rwanda) exceed the national average incarceration rate of the United States. Notably, Massachusetts, the state with the lowest incarceration rate in the U.S., would still rank 30th globally, exceeding countries like Iran, Colombia, and all founding NATO members.
A Comparison with Peers
The disproportionate use of incarceration in the U.S. becomes even more apparent when compared to similar nations. Figure 1 visually demonstrates the stark difference between the U.S. and other founding NATO members, highlighting the outlier status of the American criminal justice system. Countries with comparable incarceration rates to even the least punitive U.S. states often have authoritarian regimes, raising concerns about the U.S.’s standing as “the land of the free.”
Root Causes and Potential Solutions
The high incarceration rates in the U.S. are not solely attributable to crime rates. Decades of expansive and punitive criminal justice policies, coupled with the “war on drugs,” have contributed significantly to mass incarceration. These policies, often rooted in racial bias and political expediency, have led to a reliance on incarceration as the default response to crime.
Recent events, such as the protests following the murder of George Floyd, have sparked discussions about reforming the criminal justice system. However, there are also calls to revert to past policies. The decisions made in the coming years will determine whether the U.S. will align its incarceration rates with those of its international peers. This will require a fundamental shift in approach, moving away from punitive measures and towards a more just and equitable system. The goal should not just be to improve on the worst-performing states, but to strive for a justice system that ranks among the fairest in the world.
Methodology
This analysis utilizes data from the Prison Policy Initiative, incorporating state and federal prison populations, local jail populations, and other forms of confinement. International incarceration rates are sourced from the Institute for Criminal Policy Research’s World Prison Brief. Population data for U.S. states is from the U.S. Census Bureau.
World Incarceration Rates If Every U.S. State Were A Country
Rates calculated per 100,000 people.
Figure 2. This graph shows the number of people in state prisons, local jails, federal prisons, and other systems of confinement from each U.S. state and territory per 100,000 people in that state or territory and the incarceration rate per 100,000 in all countries with a total population of at least 500,000. Source: Prison Policy Initiative.
