In 2015, El Salvador reached a sky-high 103 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The year before Bukele came to power, it was 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Now, it is 17.6, about half the rate of American cities such as Philadelphia or Chicago….Bukele is, by far, the most popular, democratically elected leader in the world. Independent polls have his local approval rating around 80 or 85%. The explanation is relatively simple: El Salvador went from being one of the most violent countries in the world, absolutely dominated by criminal gangs, to reducing crime by 75%. Bukele promised to end crime and he delivered….by putting in jail almost 2% of the adult population of the country.
By contrast, the U.S. incarcerates only a fraction of 1% of its adult population. Since El Salvador has a higher incarceration rate than America, claims that the U.S. incarcerates a higher percentage of its people than any other country are outdated. The U.S. also has a lower incarceration rate than Rwanda, Cuba, and Turkmenistan.
Inmates are crossing the border.
Um, all their criminals migrated here?
They can read and they’ve read where the goofyass “judges” here believe that jails and prisons are too cruel for the murderers, rapists and thieves. And that’s just the bastards on Capitol Hill. They really feel bad for street criminals.
what a brilliant “new” idea
In the Middle Ages, most crimes were punishable by death. So roughly the bottom 2% of society was consistently being culled.
Bukele also created a work friendly environment much like Trump did. Everyone’s that wants to be is working and happy.
the author of this piece doesnt think people are too smart does he??
Societies used to cull the really bad people from this planet.
If he wanted to send a real message, he should hold public executions of the cartel and gang kingpins and their lieutenants.
Their murder rate is approaching zero. Out of an estimated 70,000 gang members, almost 60,000 are behind bars, and (an important detail) incommunicado, unable to communicate with gang members outside. And hence unable to threaten guards, cops, judges.
The remaining gangsters are in hiding, and now the army is going door by door rounding up the holdouts.
In a country where literally every business paid the gangs extortion money in order to operate, there is no one left to collect the payments.
No country with a coastline along the ocean needs a prison. Just take them some distance offshore that is proportional to the crime and push them overboard with instructions to swim home.
Having a low incarceration rate is nothing to be proud of if you also have a high crime rate. The purpose of jailing a criminal is to keep ordinary people safe. Punishment and rehabilitation have their place in the equation, but they are secondary. The primary purpose is to remove from society anyone who victimizes his neighbors, so they can live their lives safe from harm.
Once upon a time, when California wasn’t run by idiots, they passed a “three strikes” law for very good reasons: a small percentage of the people commit the vast majority of crimes. Put those people in prison, and the vast majority of people benefit. It’s not voodoo, it’s not racist, it’s not irrational - it’ was law based upon truth.
Once upon a time, that actually mattered.
I still think most US prisons for hard cases should be on the North Slope of Alaska or well inland in Antarctica.
The country has put nearly 2% of its adult population in prison then sent them here.
We need people to pick the crops in the north.
Nancy Pelosi
Crime is down there because all the perps got sent here.
Simple, export your problems.
Harsh imprisonments don’t necessarily “deter.” But if “Johnny” is in prison, he ain’t committing more crime.