Claim:
Everyone in prison deserves to be there

🔍 Fact check:
Absolutely not.

💡 TRUTH:

People end up in prison for all kinds of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with actual guilt or deserving punishment. Racism, poverty, mental illness, addiction, bad representation, coercive plea deals, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can all land someone behind bars. Innocence is rarely enough.

Let’s break it down:

✅  One in 5 people in U.S. prisons has not been convicted—they’re jailed pretrial, often because they can’t afford bail.

✅  Coercive plea deals mean many people take guilty pleas just to avoid longer sentences, not because they’re guilty.

✅  Studies estimate 4–6% of people in prison are innocent—which amounts to over 75,000 people in the U.S. alone.

✅  Juveniles and people with mental illness or intellectual disabilities are routinely punished instead of supported.

Additional Context

Even if someone committed a crime, the system doesn’t account for trauma, survival, or systemic failure. Not every wrong act requires a cage. And some of the people who most need care are the ones being punished the harshest..