Most prisoners come from few neighborhoods

‘Incarceration hot spots’ inculcate a vicious brand of hopelessness

ATLANTA — Crime rates have dropped in the United States over the past 15 years, yet prison populations have soared. The U.S. incarceration rate now exceeds that of other industrialized nations by five times or more, with almost 2.3 million people behind bars and another 5 million on parole or probation.