Policy claim:

“We need more prisons because they’re full of dangerous, violent criminals.”

🔍 Fact check:
FALSE.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, only 1 in 7 people in state prisons is incarcerated for offenses categorized as violent by legal standards. The majority are imprisoned for:

• Drug-related offenses
• Property crimes
• Technical parole/probation violations (like missing a meeting or failing a drug test)

Many of these individuals pose no threat to public safety—but are still locked away in harsh conditions, often for years.

People in prison aren’t monsters. They’re our neighbors, our family members, and our fellow citizens—often struggling with poverty, trauma, or addiction, and in need of support, not cages.