 specifically by comparing the 50 states with countries around the world. Of the 10 most punitive jurisdictions in the world, measured by the share of the population behind bars, nine are U.S. states, coming in just behind the world champion, El Salvador. Here with more is Wanda Bertram. It's not unknown that the U.S. incarcerates a larger share of its population than just about any other country on Earth. Only El Salvador, Cuba, and Rwanda beat us. But how do the individual states stack up? If they were independent countries, how would they stack up?