Template:Length of sentences in USA

[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/us/23prison.html American Exception. Inmate Count in US Dwarfs Other Nations']. April 22, 2008. New York Times. Page 1, Section A, Front Page. Archive. From the article (emphasis added):


 * Still, it is the length of sentences that truly distinguishes American prison policy. Indeed, the mere number of sentences imposed here would not place the United States at the top of the incarceration lists. If lists were compiled based on annual admissions to prison per capita, several European countries would outpace the United States. But American prison stays are much longer, so the total incarceration rate is higher. ...  "Rises and falls in Canada's crime rate have closely paralleled America's for 40 years," Mr. Tonry wrote last year. "But its  imprisonment rate has remained stable."