How Many People Are Incarcerated in North Dakota Compared to Other States in the Country?

Ever wonder how many people in North Dakota are in prison compared to the rest of the country? Do you think as a country, we need to reform the prison system?

Raw Story released figures this week for every state in the nation in terms of the number of prisoners for each state. Here are a few interesting facts:

The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, even though the US has 5% of the worlds population, we also have 25% of the world's prisoners. That equates to about one for every 100.

There are many issues associated with this problem. It's very expensive to house prisoners. Many of the prisons are old and outdated. In some states, the prisoners outnumber the guards by a startling ratio, making this a very dangerous profession. There are many groups and individuals pushing for prison reform in the US.

The states with the highest incarceration rates include (number of prisoners per 100,000 population):

• Louisiana
• Delaware
• Mississippi
• Oklahoma
• Alaska

The states with the lowest rated are:

• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• Maine
• Massachusetts

To get these numbers, Raw Story tabulated statistics from The Bureau of Justice Statistics along with other factors from each state.

For instance, New Hampshire has about the same amount of prisoners (229) than the entire country of Singapore. (230)

North Dakota has more prisoners than the entire country of Israel. The latest figures for North Dakota are 225 incarcerated to Israel's is 223.

Do these statistics surprise you? Do you feel that as a country, we are doing a good job or do you feel that the entire system needs reform?

I think these are good questions to ask, but the solutions are more difficult, not only in North Dakota but as a nation.

(source- Raw Story)