Scholars of prisons often talk about the “punishment rate,” which is the number of inmates per one thousand reported crimes. It is a useful measure, because it captures how punitive the society is relative to how dangerous it is. Between 1960 and 1980, as the crime rate spiked and the existing system processed the increase, the punishment rate actually fell dramatically. That is, we locked up a relatively small percentage of people compared to the overall number of crimes committed. But starting in 1980, the punishment rate skyrocketed. And then, crucially, even as crime began to fall and then
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