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> 1% of Americans have been through the incarceration system. That's insane.

That's not quite correct. 1% of American adults are currently incarcerated. There's nearly 2.5M current prisoners, and the US total population is about 310M, so once you remove kids from that 'total pop' count...

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Wouldn't that make the number higher then, if you're counting people that have been through the system? Some rough numbers from the US justice website say more than 650000 people are released from prison each year, and two thirds are back within another three years, which seems to me that a lot more than 1% touch the system.

Unfortunately, it's 4 in the morning, and I'd spend a good hour or so looking up better stats and figuring out the math, but I think my point stands.

It's his point too, and yes it stands.

Yes, sorry, I meant that the situation is actually worse than the GP suggested - the "1%" is "currently", not "ever".

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