Built to Punish: How the Criminal Justice System Undermines American Society

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. With only about 4.5% of the world’s population, it holds about 20% of the world’s inmates. But that’s only the tip of the punishment iceberg. One in five Americans have a criminal record. And every day the assembly line of punishment keeps its steady pace. Many who enter the criminal justice system are never able to fully shake it, and even those who emerge, carry its scars.

Fear of crime and endless demands for punishment s...