The provided bar chart compares how many criminals are in prisons in thousands in five different nations over the five decades between 1930 and 1980.
Overall, what stands out from the chart is that while the number of the prisoners in both Great Britain and the United State were increased gradually, the trend in Australia, New Zealand and Canada were fluctuated. Interestingly, despite the highest number of criminals in prison, the United States experienced the lowest growth. Meanwhile, Great Britain shows the highest growth even though the proportion of prisoners shows the lowest number over the period.
Looking at information in more detail, starting at about 30,000 people in 1930, the number of criminals in prisons in the United States fluctuated in the first four decades of the period before it rose gradually to around 135,000 people in the last decade. Similarly, the trend in Great Britain witnessed a significant increase throughout the period, reaching a peak at around 90,000 people in 1980, placing it as the highest interval rather than the other countries.
On the other hand, the number of people in prisons in Australia saw a reverse trend. It started at mere 70,000 people before it fluctuated in the first forty years, after which it considerably fell, hitting about 50,000 people at the end of the period. Furthermore, having experienced fluctuation trends, the number of prisoners in both New Zealand and Canada declined negligibly to approximately 85,000 and 90,000 people, respectively, in 1980.