It’s hard to deny the urgent need for reform. In 1980, there were less than half a million inmates in U.S. state and federal prisons and jails.15× Today, that figure stands at an estimated 2.2 million, more than any other country on Earth.16× Many people who commit crimes deserve punishment, and many belong behind bars. But too many, especially nonviolent drug offenders, serve unnecessarily long sentences. With just 5% of the world’s population, the United States incarcerates nearly 25% of the world’s prisoners.17× We keep more people behind bars than the top thirty-five European countries combined,
Obama, B. (2016). The President’s Role in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform. Harv. L. Rev., 130, 811.
Choices Interlinking 