percentage of population in jail
The Prison Crisis. With only 5% of the worldâs population, the U.S. has more than 20% of the worldâs prison population â that makes us the worldâs largest jailer. From 1978 to 2014, our prison population has risen 408%. One in 110 adults are incarcerated in a prison or local jail in the U.S. This marks the highest rate of imprisonment in American history. One in 35 adults are under some form of correctional control, counting prison, jail, parole and probation populations.