The United States has thousands of federal, state, local, and tribal systems. Together, these
systems hold over 1.9 million people in 1566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3116 local
jails, 1323 juvenile correctional facilities, 80 Indian country jails, and military prisons
(PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE; Mass Incarceration: The Pie 2024). According to Statista, a
global data and business intelligence platform, there were over 7.36 million arrests in the
United States in 2022.
Despite these alarming statistics, excepting law schools designed for those seeking careers
in law, the United States does not have any system, program, or initiative to educate
everyday people on the law. This is particularly troubling given the vast number of people
who come in contact with the criminal justice system on a daily basis. Although ignorance
of the law is no defense in the United States, it is a devastating reality that has led to the
mass incarceration of far too many people. We, too, believe that when people know better,
they do better.
