The report Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025, prepared by Wendy Sawyer and Peter Wagner, provides a comprehensive and rigorous overview of the incarceration system in the United States, aiming to dismantle persistent myths and provide clear data in an increasingly politicised debate. In a context where security is often used to justify punitive policies, the study demonstrates that many of these measures are not only ineffective but can also worsen public safety.

Currently, nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. in a mosaic of systems (state and federal prisons, local jails, juvenile centres, immigration detention, psychiatric hospitals, and others), with a minimum annual cost of $182 billion. However, these figures do not reflect the enormous turnover of the system: each year, more than 7 million people go through pretrial detention, often for minor offences or without a final conviction.

One of the key points of the report is that most people in local jails have not been convicted. They are in pretrial detention because they cannot pay the bail, not because they pose an immediate danger. This extensive use of pretrial detention has a direct impact on security: it breaks family and work ties, exacerbates mental health problems, and increases the likelihood of reoffending.

The study also debunks the idea that prison overcrowding is primarily a consequence of the drug war or private prisons. Although drug-related crimes remain significant (over 360,000 people imprisoned), 4 out of 5 incarcerated individuals are imprisoned for other types of crimes. Moreover, nearly half of the incarcerated population is classified under the legal category of violent crimes, a label that is often misleading and includes conduct without actual physical harm.

From a security perspective, one of the most important conclusions is that mass incarceration does not reduce crime. The data shows that crime rates are at historic lows, despite alarmist political rhetoric. Moreover, long sentences and harsh conditions of confinement do not have a deterrent effect and may have a criminogenic impact, increasing the risk of future offences once the individual is released.

Finally, the report warns against the use of prisons as a substitute for social and health services. Prisons are not suitable spaces for the treatment of mental disorders or addictions, and failure in this area has direct consequences for collective security.

Overall, The Whole Pie 2025argues that smartly reducing incarceration is a security strategy, not a threat. Data-driven policies, prevention, community services, and responses provided to crime are much more effective in building safe societies than the logic of mass punishment.

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