Exceptionally Harsh Punishments: The role of American exceptionalism in making the United States a leading nation in mass incarceration and tough punishments since the 1970s.

Abstract

The United States of America has the highest incarceration rates in the world. In fact, while the U.S. only accounts for five percent of the global population, it has nearly twenty-five percent of its prisoners. This thesis aims to determine what role American exceptionalism has played in making the US a leading nation in mass incarceration and tough punishments. To do so, we will take a look at the history and the legislative initiatives leading to the development of the American prison system as we know it. Going forward, US prison and incarceration numbers through history will also be compared to those of other western democracies, along with the social implications of these systems. Along with this, the thesis will go into detail, analyzing the different viewpoints on why this has come to be and why it prevails in today’s American society. Why, and how it has made the United States an outlier amongst its fellow Western Democracies.