The United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Some sources say that no other country puts people behind bars at the same rate. But there can be some fluctuation from year to year and as laws change.
Despite this, there are those who claim that the actual percentage of Americans who have committed potential crimes is actually around 100%. They do note that not everyone has an actual criminal record or a conviction. But they say that everyone has broken the law, so the only division is between those who have been caught and those who have not.
Is this actually true?
Whether this is statistically true or not is debatable. They certainly did not poll everyone in the United States to ask them if they had ever broken the law.
But the theory does seem to hold some weight. Essentially, they are pointing out that many people break the law and get away with it. This activity is no different than someone who breaks the law and gets caught. But their lives after that arrest may be very different.
For example, two people may have decided to drive home from a party after drinking. One person gets home without incident, considers themselves lucky, and goes to bed. The other person gets involved in a car accident where the other driver passes away. They end up going to jail for decades. These people’s lives are much different, even though they made the exact same decision to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.
This does create some level of sympathy for those who have broken the law, as they are not alone in these decisions. Anyone who has been accused of criminal activity needs to know about all of their legal defense options, keeping their future closely in mind.