A majority of prison inmates are incarcerated either for violent crimes or property crimes. The statistics in IL showed (last time I checked) a plurality of inmates convicted of domestic violence. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Netherlands have a fraction of the inmates the US does, but they also have a fraction of the crime.
There are a lot of reasons for that, and discussing them is a politically volatile rabbithole of a discussion to start. But we should at least begin by understanding the right premise. We can and should reduce sentences, particularly for low-level property crimes. But if we did most everything in our penal system "right", we'd still have integer multiples of Scandinavia's incarceration share of population.
There are a lot of reasons for that, and discussing them is a politically volatile rabbithole of a discussion to start. But we should at least begin by understanding the right premise. We can and should reduce sentences, particularly for low-level property crimes. But if we did most everything in our penal system "right", we'd still have integer multiples of Scandinavia's incarceration share of population.