I wonder what percentage are in jail for gun-related crimes. The easy availability of guns is one thing that distinguishes America from other advanced economies.

Edit: I found a variety of sources that suggest 18% of state and 15% of federal prisoners. Nowhere near as high as I was expecting.

Many of those gun crimes are people who previously committed a crime and were thus barred from owning guns. It’s an easy way to keep people rotating back into the carceral system.

That's still quite high. But the real thing that contributes to the US' crazy high incarceration rates is we tend to have much longer sentences than other countries

The US doesn't actually have that much higher crime rates than other countries otherwise though

Another issue, like this article points out, is that once you're in even if you get out your life is pretty much ruined and you're much more likely to go back in

Hah, most US prisoners aren't even in prison for violent crimes.