Lifetime‑conviction prevalence is high

Across multiple wealthy countries a non‑trivial share of men—often several percent and in some groups tens of percent—are convicted or imprisoned at least once in their lives. Differences in sentencing length (e.g., U.S. multi‑year terms versus short modal terms in Denmark) and population composition (immigrant versus native origin) explain much of cross‑national variation in the share of people who are 'ever imprisoned.' — Framing crime in terms of lifetime‑conviction prevalence shifts focus from a small number of chronic offenders to a broader population‑level fact that influences sentencing policy, prison capacity, and immigration debates.