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TIL That today the US is responsible for 25% of the world's prison population. Presumably in 1776 we were on par with Europe. Has the US proclivity for incarceration been a historical trait or only a more recent phenomenon? What laws has the US enacted enabling this increased rate of imprisonment?

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TIL That today the US is responsible for 25% of the world's prison population. Presumably in 1776 we were on par with Europe. Has the US proclivity for incarceration been a historical trait or only a more recent phenomenon? What laws has the US enacted enabling this increased rate of imprisonment?	5192