Based on the U.S. Justice Department's most recent data, 461 of every 100,000 Americans are now serving a prison sentence of at least one year. California, though home to the largest total prison population, is about average per capita, with 483 inmates per 100,000 residents. In Louisiana, the rate is 794, tops in the nation - a symbol of resolve for some, a badge of shame for others. "I think there's a lot of people who should be in the penitentiary and who don't always go," said Harry Connick, Sr., the former New Orleans district attorney. "But I also think there's some who do go who perhaps shouldn't be there.
Louisiana obviously has an ineffective policy when it comes to incarceration because, if all of this incarceration was making our streets safer, then it might make sense. But, the data indicates that there is no direct connection between the increase in the incarceration rates and decreased crime. In Louisiana, as well as the rest of the nation, the crime rate has......
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