America has by far the highest incarceration rate in the world – ahead of even Russia and Iran. The South leads the way, of course. But this stat blew me away:
The report by the Justice Department agency found that 62 percent of people in jails have not been convicted, meaning many of them are awaiting trial.
More than a million people are jailed in this country without being convicted for anything? Or am I reading something wrong? I wonder what the comparable rate is in other countries.
Update: a reader tells me I am reading something wrong:
It is 62% of people in jails, not of the total incarcerated. The article states that 750,000 are in jails, so 62% of that is 465,000. Still a very high number, of course, but not "more than a million."
The Dish 