United States incarceration rate Puns

I have my own ideas, but I'm curious what you all think the underlying causes of mass incarceration in the united states are?

While the US comprises 4.4% of the world population, it holds 22% of the world's prisoners. There are many factors that contribute to this statistic, I want to know why this isn't a much bigger issue in politics. I really doubt we have the most dangerous citizens in the world.

I got these stats from wikipedia, so take that for what it's worth. Let me know if there's some caveat to these seemingly ridiculous numbers.

The United States currently imprisons over 2.3 million people, the result of which is that this country is currently home to about 25% of the world’s incarcerated people while comprising less than 5% of its population.

Relatedly, in the U.S. prosecutors have an enormous amount of leeway in determining how harshly, fairly, or lightly those who break the law are treated. They can often decide which charges to bring against a person and which sentences to pursue. ‘Tough on crime’ politics have given many an incentive to try to lock up as many people as possible.

However, since the 1990’s, there has been a growing movement of progressive prosecutors who are interested in pursuing holistic justice by making their top policy priorities evidence-based to ensure public safety. As a former prosecutor in Richmond, Virginia, and having founded the Virginia Holistic Justice Initiative, I count myself among them.

Let’s get into it: AMA about what’s in the post title (or anything else that’s on your mind)!

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I'll start answering questions at 8:30 Eastern Time. Proof I'm me.

Edit: I'm logged on and starting in on questions now!

Edit 2: Thanks to all who submitted questions - unfortunately, I have to go at this point.

Edit 3: There have been some great questions over the course of the day and I'd like to continue responding for as long as you all find this interesting -- so, I'm back on and here we go!

Edit 4: It's been real, Reddit -- thanks for having me and I hope ya'll have