I think the cultural difference piece is hard to judge, but it's very difficult for me (a mostly uninformed reader) to figure that piece out. I think no matter

I think the cultural difference piece is hard to judge, but it's very difficult for me (a mostly uninformed reader) to figure that piece out. I think no matter how you try and get the stats, that piece will remain. I think my main takeaway is that the US has a pretty bad system currently. Our prisons do seem like breeding grounds for criminals, and our recidivism rate is high. One way to end recidivism is potentially with education. Another way to reduce the problem of recidivism is by locking a repeat offender up for life[1]. I'm not sure the answer, but clearly there's room for improvement in the US system. Our crime statistics are just so much worse in the US, it seems like we need radical, generational changes to try and make our crime rates more like similar European countries. More Chicagoans have been killed in gun violence since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq than US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.[2] In the top 50 world cities by murder rate, 46/50 are in countries that you might expect (Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, etc)[3]. But 4 are in one of the richest countries in the world, with St. Louis premiering at #14. A 20-30% drop by making our prisons universities is not enough to make these numbers tolerable to me. We need massive change (not just with criminal justice... obviously education, culture, economics all play a part). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-strikes_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-strikes_law [2]https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/09/08/homicides-in-chicago-eclipse-u-s-death-toll-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-infographic/#18b5801e7d75 https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/09/08/homici... [3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_murder_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_murder_rate