Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
2020 Rate of Incarceration
The American rate of incarceration remains the highest in the world.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 19, 2022
1. 2020 Rate of Incarceration Marker
This marker still stands as of the date of this photograph.
The U.S. rate of incarceration has dropped in recent years, but not by much. The United States continues to incarcerate a higher percentage of its citizens than any other nation, by far.
The U.S. currently incarcerates about 655 people per 100,000 citizens. El Salvador now has the second highest rate of incarceration in the world. It incarcerates 590 per 100,000 citizens.
Why do you think America still has the highest rate of incarceration in the world? What changes would be necessary to reduce the number of people we send to prison?
[Caption:]
The Big Graph with the addition of the 2020 bar.
We will add the 2020 bar to The Big Graph when the U.S. Department of Justice releases final statistics for the year, likely in 2021 or 2022.
Erected by Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 2020.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 58.148′ N, 75° 10.328′ W. Marker was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia
this page online
Regionally, this marker was in Southeast Pennsylvania. It was also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: The Big Graph (here, next to this marker); The United States no longer has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. (here, next to this marker); Incinerator (a few steps from this marker); Solitary Exercise Yard (within shouting distance of this marker); Morgue (within shouting distance of this marker); Memories of the Penitentiary Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Tuberculosis Yard (within shouting distance of this marker); Sports at ESP (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 199 times since then and 17 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on March 26, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
