Instructions in attached file

Your main post should be at least two to four paragraphs and answer the following:

The United States incarcerates nearly two million people and has a higher incarceration rate than other comparable industrialized countries. The U.S. incarcerates more people overall than both China and India, which both have populations that are four times larger. Many believe that the U.S. can significantly downsize the number that we incarcerate in order to save money that can be used on aiding young children growing up in poverty and without opportunity, which in turn could decrease future U.S. crime rates.

Please discuss your thoughts about this debate. First, why do you believe that we incarcerate so many people in the U.S.? Is it because of the higher violence rates in the U.S. than in other countries or is it due to other factors? Second, if you believe that the U.S. should downsize its prison population, a) how do you believe that this would impact deterrence of offenders and b) what offenders that we currently incarcerate should we no longer incarcerate in the future? Please back up your answers with evidence and remember that you can discuss all incarceration (including jails) or just focus on the prison population.