Could it be that the reason the U.S. incarcerates more people is that we simply have more crime? That's a reasonable question, although obviously if it is true locking people up doesn't seem to be solving the problem. But is it true? That's actually quite a complicated question.
First of all, we have to define "crime." Dictionary definitions are generally of the effect that "Crime is behavior . . . defined by statutory or common law as deserving of punishment or penalty.” However, there are huge differences over time and place -- among countries, states and even cities, in what behavior is regarded as criminal. For example, sex work was legal in Rhode Island until quite recently, and it is legal today in Nevada, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The definition of criminality also changes over time due to changing social norms -- e.g. alcohol, homosexual acts, pornography, marijuana. It used to be perfectly legal in the U.S. for men to beat and rape their wives. I could go on but you get the idea.
In fact, although many acts that once were illegal are no longer, the changing social, material and technological context tends to increase the scope of the law. The invention of the motor vehicle led to a huge new body of criminal law. Computers and the Internet created a need for whole new categories of legislation to address new kinds of fraud and abuse. On the other hand some laws are enforced inconsistently, or rarely, or only against some groups of people. And there are huge differences among jurisdictions in what is considered serious or trivial. When we talk about crime rates, we usually aren't including minor offenses like parking tickets, littering, or even, say, public urination. So what are we talking about?
In the U.S. there are two main sources for "crime rate" numbers: FBI Uniform Crime Reports, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey. Here's the summary:
You may notice a few things of interest. I'll come back tomorrow to discuss them.
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