The effectiveness of the United States criminal legal system has been questioned and examined by the media and legal analysts for decades. Even with laws that lengthen sentences and try younger offenders as adults, the nation's overall crime rate is still rising. But why are crime rates so low in places like Iceland and Singapore and yet both countries have very contrasting criminal laws? It has been brought to my attention that Congress will attempt to create a whole new criminal legal system for states to adopt, in an effort to finally make America's streets safer for its citizens. Assuming that all states will give up their own policies to adopt the system built by Congress, it is my duty to shed light on the criminal legal system and the different opinions of the legal systems of the United States and other countries and the different opinions of the United States and of other countries. countries with different governments, geographic areas and legal systems. I will also explore the common ground they share in prosecuting criminals. The information I discover will be considered by lawmakers when designing a new and improved criminal justice system. It is first important to take a close look at the crime rate that occurs in America. The United States has more citizens in prison than any other country. The United States' incarceration rate is second only to Russia's with 666 people incarcerated per 100,000. The United States makes up one-third of the world's incarcerated population, while accounting for only 5% of the population. (Father's Manifesto) The criminal justice system is slightly different in each state. For example, only thirty-eight states practice capital punishment while the other twelve use life imprisonment without parole as an alternative to the death sentence for serious offenders. The death penalty in the United States is one of the most criticized policies in American society. Under the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, the Americas are protected against cruel and unusual punishment. While it does not clearly define what punishment is considered “cruel and unusual,” several campaigns argue that capital punishment is cruel and unusual and constitutes a direct violation of human rights. Organizations such as Amnesty International, a global human rights group, argue that capital punishment is not only inhumane, but does not deter crime any more effectively than other punishments that do not involve death..