The table below shows the figures for imprisonment in five countries between 1930 and 1980.

The bar chart compares the number of prisoners in five

countries

Use synonyms

— Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada — at six time points between 1930 and 1980.

Overall

Linking Words

, Great Britain consistently had the smallest prison population,

whereas

Linking Words

the United States recorded the largest numbers throughout the period. Notably, the US saw a steady increase and reached a peak in 1980,

while

Linking Words

the remaining

countries

Use synonyms

showed more fluctuating patterns. In Great Britain, the number of inmates rose gradually from around 30,000 in 1930 to approximately 80,000 in 1980.

By contrast

Linking Words

, the US started at about 100,000 and climbed continuously to roughly 140,000 by the end of the period, remaining the highest among all five

countries

Use synonyms

. Other

countries

Use synonyms

experienced irregular changes. Australia dropped sharply from just above 70,000 in 1930 to about 40,000 in 1940, before rising steadily to around 60,000 in 1970 and

then

Linking Words

declining slightly in 1980.

Similarly

Linking Words

, New Zealand fell from around 110,000 to nearly 50,000 in 1950, but later recovered to almost 90,000 in 1980. Canada decreased modestly from roughly 120,000 to 110,000 in 1940,

then

Linking Words

increased to about 130,000 by 1950, fell to around 80,000 in 1970, and

finally

Linking Words

rebounded to about 90,000

at the end

Linking Words

of the period.