A lot of people who are in prison here go to halfway houses or rehab after they get out. Things are a lot different here than they are there. You have to take into account that the US probably has the best jails/prisons around the world. Have you ever watched Locked up Abroad or Locked up? Compared to what I have seen on those reality shows the US is way too slack on what it's like to be incarcerated.
I'm sorry, but... what?
The United States
does not have the best correctional system in the world. Far from it, correctional faculties in the United States are extremely overpopulated, with this strain causing prison services to become overstretched, adversely affecting service delivery in areas such as health care, safety and most importantly, rehabilitation.
Indeed, if prisons have any measure of effectiveness, its the recidivism rate, of which the United States has one of the highest in the world. In addition, if prisons in the US are so good, why is their incarceration rate the highest on the planet?
Per capita yes the US does apparently but Russia is a close 2nd.
Looky Here
This is an interesting breakdown. I would think that the Countries like Cuba and the last countries that are showing 0 probably do a lot more stoning to death people than Countries like ours. btw Spain ranks #61. What do you do with your criminals?
And how is it a big business and who's MAKING money?
Russia, a close second? There seems to be a very large gap between the nations. The irony here is that one nation is a virtual dictatorship, and the other is a vibrant democracy... and yet the democracy has the larger incarceration rate.
Also, most other Western countries have a more enlightened view towards punishment. While the US has a very punitive criminal justice system, with lengthy prison terms for seemingly minor offenses. Other countries consider prison as a last resort, in Australia at least, judges are inclined to impose other, less serious forms of punishment, instead of sending an offender straight to prison.
Statistically speaking, it's a cheaper solution, and helps keeps the incarceration rate low.
Private corrections is a very big business in the United States. Private prison groups also lobby State and Federal governments to increase the penalties for crimes. This ensures that the prisons remain full, which enables these companies to keep making billions off the suffering and misery of the most neglected and disadvantaged people in society.