Today the United States has the highest prison population in the world, over 2. 1 million people. . . . We lock people up at a rate that is seven to ten times that of any other democracy.
New York is such a special place. It's really intense for people because they live here when they're young. On top of the energy of the city there's a visceral experience a lot of people have because it's a time in their lives where they're just absorbing a lot. Things take on a significance that they might not otherwise.