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The US has nearly 5% of the world's population – but 25% of the world’s prisoners. In the last 40 years, the US prison population has increased 500%, making it the world’s leading jailer.

Music producer Ryan Burvick runs a rejuvenation programme on Rikers Island, America's most notorious jail. Now those who have been through the prison system open up to him about their experiences: why cash for bail is a problem, how the plea bargain works against inmates, why a felony conviction destroys life chances, and why black Americans are five times more likely to be incarcerated than white. Ryan also hears from criminologist experts and a former corrections commissioner about what should happen next, from reform to abolition.

(Photo: Hands through bars. Credit: iStock)