For example, creating better prisons would not only reduce overcrowding and recidivism rates, but would also balance the enforcement of human rights and humanize offenders. Putting a face to prisoners increases the chances of adequate treatment. Five of the ten worst prisons in the world are in America, and the worst overcrowding rates are in the Americas (McGrath, 10.27). In some Scandinavian countries, prison restructuring has produced a marked decrease in recidivism. The new prisons prioritize rehabilitation rather than punishment and focus their faculties on human rights rather than oppression. These countries have seen a 25% decrease in recidivism rates. Rather than serving as a years-long punitive state, these prisons release inmates with a better understanding and respect for human life and the social mores that protect it (McGrath, 10/27). Many Western European nations also appoint judges and prosecutors, rather than holding elections. The American electoral process pushes candidates to seek public approval rather than administer justice. Public opinion is often polarized in favor of harsher sentences for minority offenders, and popularly elected officials will pander to voters (McGrath, 10.27). Politicizing the criminal justice system can lead to wrongful convictions and enforcement of public opinion