Mass incarceration does not help reduce crime rates
Despite high incarceration rates, crime rates have not changed. Nearly 1 out of 100 adults in the United States is incarcerated, which means the US has 4 to 7 times more people incarcerated than any other country in the world. Shockingly, there are 32 times more people incarcerated in the US than in Nepal and India. African American men are six times more likely than white men to be imprisoned. Even though the US has the most people in prison than any other country in the world, the crime rate in the US ranks in the middle. And, the saddest part of all, spending time in prison does not reduce recidivism (return to prison).
Despite the increased numbers of incarcerated adults, the crime rate has been dropping for almost four decades. This does not fit with the amount of people who are spending time in prison. Many police departments are running on fewer numbers of officers, but with more efficiency. Staffing in private and public prisons also do not seem to affect the crime rates as recidivism remains the same between the two.
