U.S. has the highest incarcerate rate, what does this say about our use of incarceration for public safety?

Question

We have the highest crime rate in the world and one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world. What does ths say about our use of incarceration as a method of enhancing public safety?

Answer 1

You are wrong, U.S. does NOT have even one of the highest crime rates in the world. Check your facts.

Rank Countries Amount (top to bottom)
#1 Colombia 0.617847 per 1,000 people
#2 South Africa 0.496008 per 1,000 people
#3 Jamaica 0.324196 per 1,000 people
#4 Venezuela 0.316138 per 1,000 people
#5 Russia 0.201534 per 1,000 people

The United States recently became the country with the most people incarcerated and the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world. This high level of incarceration does not stem from abnormally high crime rates, but is instead linked more strongly to our nation’s sentencing practices and drug policies, both of which have been developed to be “tough on crime.”

In many areas American citizens are actually at less of a “risk of victimization than their counterparts in other nations.” Overall, then, the United States does not have significantly higher rates of crime or victimization than other industrial nations.
Burglars in the United States usually serve about 16 months in prison, whereas in Canada they serve about 5 months and in England and Wales they serve about 7.13

In England and Wales, only 12% of prisoners, compared to 41% in the United States, have sentences of 10 years or more (including life sentences).

Countries that disarms their citizens quickly learn that "disarmed populace" translates to criminals as "helpless victims found here." Australia and the United Kingdom have the highest violent crime rates in the world, according to a recent survey conducted by Leiden University in Holland.

The International Crime Victims Survey revealed that Australia leads the world in violent crime with more than 30 percent of its population victimized by criminals. England was second with 26 percent of its citizens violated. Wales was included in the English figure.

Contact crime-- crimes in which the perpetrator makes physical contact with the victim-- was highest in England and Wales with 3.6 percent of the population having been "contacted." In America, where 32 out of 50 states allow their citizens to carry a concealed weapon for protection, only 1.9 percent of the population has been "contacted;" in Japan the number is 0.4 percent.

America did not even make the "top 10" list of the survey, which corresponds with other research showing that crime has steadily fallen in the U.S. in the past 10 years. Depending on which data one chooses, violent crime in the U.S. has declined between four and 11 percent in the past three years.

Answer 2

If we would implement Capital Punishment it would cut down on cost for incarcerating these "REPEAT" offenders. Since most offenders commit again, capital punishment would deter crime.
The reason statics show it does not deter crime now is because we don't use the death penalty enough.
The cost to incarcerate a life sentence is insane when the thought of putting them to death is much cheaper.

Look at other countries, they go with the philosophy an eye for an eye. You steal you lose your hand.... with that type of punishment can you see a decline in crime???? I would think so.

Answer 3

Look how many are "non-violent" offenders in cases like "the war on drugs". That is another thing. If you looked at the "war on drugs" you would see it isn't working. Then again maybe it is but that is a topic for another discussion and gets more into conspiracy theroy. Look how willing we are to put people in jail. Look at the outrage we had about the caning over in Singaphore, I believe it was, when an American was caught doing graffite. Yet you look how much lower their violence is. Also look how lower crime rates are in countries with HIGHER unemployment, to those who blame it on poor or employment or such. Nope that ISN'T the cause. The cause is NOT PUNISHING properly. The high crime rates show that. Maybe we should start smacking a kid's *** with a cane to teach them to behave.

Answer 4

Incarceration is not the answer! Too many young men find themselfs for years in prison , for a petty crime ,by the time they get out ,they are hardened , really crime savy, and end up back in jail! A waste of tax money ,wchich must go instead to the prevention of at risk young people to keep them out of jail! Of course prison is millionaires busisness! What a shame! Now with the youth of North Korea indoctrinated in pursue of warfare, what will the U.S.A. do with its yound men at jail or drugged up?

Answer 5

Incarceration doesn't work. A lot of the imprisoned are repeat offenders and their crimes gets more violent over time. Prison is where petty criminal get perfected into better criminals.

Instead of tv, rec rooms, libraries and the internet, they should put them to 'HARD LABOR'. So instead on Made in China, you have Made by the Citizens of Alcatraz

Answer 6

It says that our punishment system is too weak. We have the highest crime rate because all the crap comes here knowing that the punishment is less severe than other countries. We need to step up punishments to fit the crime and throw rehabilitation out the window because it doesn't work and isn't worth the effort, time, or money.
Bleeding heart liberals need to wake up and accept the fact that criminals are criminals are criminals. I say if you are old enough to know right from wrong and you do something wrong pay for it with maximum punishment and sentencing. Utilize the death penalty more often, bring back public stonings, tattoo "PEDOPHILE," "DRUG ADDICT," "THIEF," "BURGLAR," "SPOUSE BEATER," and etc etc etc on peoples forheads... labels are good they keep things in order.....

Answer 7

Putting the poor in jail to benefit your friends, like Haliburton, and pass on the bill to the poor and middle class is a poor excuse for policy. Incarcerating that many people for a short time also does not enhance public safety at all, but rather decreases it.

Answer 8

you're between the main important international locations by potential of inhabitants contained in the international and you're additionally a democracy. additionally letting people very own firearms would not help. you have a good justice gadget, forensics and police rigidity. you apart from would have a huge divide in prosperous/detrimental which will deliver crime, thoughts of unfairness, poverty and hopelessness which could all bring about crime. you apart from would have a huge form of jails to hold those people and a great form of rules which will detain those people and a great form of different components besides. additionally this may be my lack of understanding yet do no longer you have a three strike rule and you're out? So no longer rely if the guy tries to be a good citizen if he gets caught the 0.33 time breaking the regulation existence in penal complex.

Answer 9

We have a violent society.
There are many reasons for it.
Just look at popular culture, from music to movies- it's a glorification of violence.
We can have 2 dozen tv shows about murder, crime scenes and such, but god forbid you show a boobie or two people engaged in sex (an act of love), but it's OK to show murder and killing, and violence. Uptight sexual repression is what it is.
We have movies like Saw, misogynistic rap music, games like Grand Theft and so forth. People are crazy if they don't think that the arts effect culture. We all know that it does.
The US, with our wars and tough talk, and so forth glorifies violent.
We are a violent culture- end of story.

Answer 10

It says that the "war on drugs" is a farce and that the only result is high incarceration rates.