Cross-country data suggest the U.S. has a higher share of people in prison at any moment largely because sentences are much longer, not simply because more people are incarcerated. Denmark’s modal unsuspended sentence is 1–2 months, versus typical U.S. prison terms exceeding a year.
— This reframes decarceration debates toward sentence length policy and parole practices rather than only policing or charging decisions.
by Amy Yurkanin
2025.10.09
60% relevant
The DA’s posture—no reduction below murder and a 30‑year recommendation—exceeds comparable local crash‑fatality sentences (e.g., 15 years with higher BAC), illustrating how sentence length choices, not just offense incidence, can elevate incarceration exposure.
Inquisitive Bird
2025.09.19
70% relevant
The article explains why prison population shares skew toward violent crimes by noting that population composition reflects both admissions and sentence length; longer sentences for serious offenses over‑represent violent categories in stock measures versus flows, directly illustrating the sentence‑length mechanism behind high incarceration levels.
Inquisitive Bird
2025.08.11
100% relevant
Comparison of Denmark’s STRAF47 sentence-length distribution with U.S. norms noted in the article (plus U.S. lifetime imprisonment risks from Robey et al., 2023).