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At 905 per 100,000, Oklahoma exceeds the Soviet Gulag at its peak, and incarcerates at rates higher than Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela combined.
Spin the globe. See how Oklahoma compares to the world's most repressive regimes. The red dot represents Oklahoma—higher than virtually every authoritarian state.
Oklahoma sits at the top—not just of US states, but of the world's most incarcerating regimes.
Historical context
per 100,000 Soviet citizens
~1.7 million prisoners from 194 million population
per 100,000 Oklahoma residents
~23,498 prisoners from 4 million population
Oklahoma has surpassed the Soviet Union's infamous Gulag system—the benchmark for state repression.
When an American state incarcerates at rates exceeding authoritarian regimes, we must ask: what separates us from the dictatorships we condemn?