The US has the fifth highest per capita prison population in the world. The four countries with a higher per capita population are: El Salvador, Rwanda, Turkme

The US has the fifth highest per capita prison population in the world. The four countries with a higher per capita population are: El Salvador, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, and Cuba. (Omitting American Samoa, because that's a US territory). None of those are major countries, so the statement "The US is the most punitive major country in the world" absolutely holds water. If you want an idea of how crazy high incarceration rates are in the states, just compare the prison population per 100,000 inhabitants with its neighbors: Canada - 85 Mexico - 174 USA - 505 On a side note I wonder how many people would rather lose a limb than spend a decade in US prison.