“The US has the highest rate of incarcerated citizens than *any* country in the world”
That’s because US has a lot of amenities in prison other countries don’t have. I was station in Sardinia in the mid 80’s and there was a prison in the town of Tempio. If your family didn’t bring you a blanket you froze! That’s extreme and don’t recommend it here but they need to be a lot strict so criminals DON’T want to go to prison.
You are right. I knew a guy who went to prison on a gang/gun charge. He had his own room, watched television and played cards all day, plus got three square meals. It was an improvement on life outside. He felt safe there. He’d have stayed if they would have let him.