Over 2.2 million people are behind bars in America. That's a prison population rate of 655 for every 100,000 residents. In other words, when it comes to locking folks up, the United States is #1. In part one of our 4-part series, we explore how the land of the free became the home of the incarcerated. For more on the criminal justice system, check out "The Redemption Project with Van Jones," airing Sunday nights at 9 PM ET/PT on CNN and CNN.com/go, or visit www.cnn.com/redemption.

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