With a conquering attitude and what has appeared to be a tendency to try and triumph over other countries in the world, the United States finds itself on top once again, succeeding over other countries in regard to incarceration rates. The incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world in 2013, accounting for 716 per 100,000 of the national population. While the United States population only accounts for about 4.4 percent of the world’s total population, the percent of prisoners that the United States accounts for is quite the contrary to the minuscule 4.4 percent that its population accounts for. The United States of America harbors 22 percent of the world's prisoners and the incarceration rates in the United States continue to increase.

It will come at no shock to also hear that the recidivism rate in the United States is equally as triumphant over other countries in the world. The recidivism rate is the rate at which offenders are released from prison and continue to commit other crimes and are arrested and incarcerated once again to serve out new sentences. Why does the United States hold the title for having some of the highest recidivism rates in the world? The conditions of prisons in the United States including the treatment of prisoners is believed to be the leading cause as to why recidivism rates are so high in the United States.

The corrections corporation of America strip way people’s human rights, locking them away in cages to serve out their sentences. While a majority of the people in prisoner are ones in which have committed heinous crimes and are sentenced to life in prisons with no chance of parole, there are prisoners that will be rejoining society.

The conditions of prisons and the treatment of inmates is only breeding prisoners into more vicious and aggravated criminals who will be released back into society to only fall back into the system that is seemingly responsible that repeat offenders have not abandoned violent and delinquent ways of living, but rather kept their felonious ways of living. The higher the recidivism rate the higher rate at which crime will occur which consequently makes the United States a more dangerous place if the problem of increasing recidivism rates is not controlled.

When comparing the United States corrections corporations to other countries successful prison systems such as Norway, it becomes quite clear that reconsideration in regards to imprisonment should be contemplated by the United States. In August 2014, Norway's incarceration rate was just 75 per 100,000 people which is drastically different in comparison to the 716 per 100,000 prisoners the United States accounts for.

Why is Norway’s incarceration rate dramatically lower than the United States? Firstly, Norway runs an entirely different program than the United States corrections corporation. The difference between the conditions of prisons and the treatment of prisons in Norway in comparison to the United States is black and white. Norway’s prison systems are more humane, as is their punishment system. Norway’s prison system is not built upon the prisons system in the United States where the corrections corporation has appeared to have adopted the idea that punishment for crime must require harsh treatment in horrible, inhumane jails where people are locked away like animals and are serving long sentences. Norway’s corrections system is centered on rehabilitation and restoring good back into one's life.

Many prisons in Norway provide wholesome programs that will provide inmates with the preparation to obtain professional careers and ready them to return to life on the outside. In Norway, taking people's freedom away from them is punishment enough. The cells of prisoners in Norway are also entirely different to those in the United States. Inmates are provided with a spacious and comfortable room, including common rooms for enriching, educating and insightful daily activity.

Statistical evidence reveals the truth that Norway is a country that is clearly onto something, showing substantial progress in regard to the rehabilitation of prisoners back into people based on the successful prison system they have adopted. It would be in the United States best interest to look to countries like Norway and considered adapting elements of the prisons system not only to possibly decrease crime rate and recidivism rates, but to also help to rehabilitate people by helping them to revert from old ways, giving them a second chance in life and hope for a better future.