70% of Americans have committed a crime before

Icarus27k

Council Member
Apr 4, 2010
1,508
7
38
Or did something they could be put in jail for. This statement is mostly true, according to PolitiFact, fact checking a statement from a Yale Law School professor.

[Stephen] Carter[, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale Law School] said that more than 70 percent of American adults have committed a crime that could lead to imprisonment. Based on a strictly technical reading of existing laws, the consensus among the legal experts we reached is that the number is reasonable. Way more than a majority of Americans have done something in their lives that runs afoul of some law that includes jail or prison time as a potential punishment.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfac...out-70-us-have-done-something-could-put-us-j/



It's a sobering warning against self-righteousness and judging others who have run afoul of the law.
 

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
14,698
73
48
It would be interesting to know what the stats are for Canadians...
 

EagleSmack

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 16, 2005
44,168
96
48
USA
What's the matter Ick? Did you just get out of prison?

Haven't seen you around since last March!

What did they send you up the river for?
 

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
30,245
99
48
Alberta
It's probably higher than 70% considering there is close to 10,000 laws in the states. I'm sure lots have broken laws they don't even know exist.