No other country in the world has as many people in jail as the United States. Not China or India, both of which have four times as many people, but much lower incarceration rates.

Lower rates are seen, too, in Russia, Japan, Thailand, all of Europe, throughout the Middle East and Africa, and in every other country (except for El Salvador, Cuba, Rwanda and Turkmenistan who imprison their people with as much gusto as does America).

It makes me wonder — is it because we are so much more effective at enforcing our laws? Does it reflect the attitude of our courts? Are there social factors or financial incentives at play, or does it, as I suspect, have more to do with our basic philosophy on imprisonment and what prisons are for?

Let’s start with the basic reasons why we put people in jail.

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