I wouldn't put any particular stock in the figures cited in the Time magazine article. I'm not a sociologist but it seems two years is a totally inadequate follow-up. In Finland, after five years, the rate of recidivism is almost 60%.
http://www.rikosseuraamus.fi/21171.htm
An Italian study of the impact of prison conditions on recidivism seemed to conclude there was little effect.
ftp://ftp.iza.org/dps/dp3395.pdf
From my internet searching, I'd say it's a difficult field in which to come up with valid conclusions across countries and across cultures.
jwm
There is one statistics that does not lie: Prison population by 100,000 by country:
# 1
United States: 715 per 100,000 people
# 2 Russia: 584 per 100,000 people
# 3 Belarus: 554 per 100,000 people
# 4 Palau: 523 per 100,000 people
# 5 Belize: 459 per 100,000 people
# 6 Suriname: 437 per 100,000 people
# 7 Dominica: 420 per 100,000 people
# 8 Ukraine: 416 per 100,000 people
# 9 Bahamas, The: 410 per 100,000 people
# 10 South Africa: 402 per 100,000 people
# 11 Kyrgyzstan: 390 per 100,000 people
# 12 Singapore: 388 per 100,000 people
# 13 Kazakhstan: 386 per 100,000 people
# 14 Barbados: 367 per 100,000 people
# 15 Panama: 354 per 100,000 people
# 16 Trinidad and Tobago: 351 per 100,000 people
# 17 Thailand: 340 per 100,000 people
= 18 Estonia: 339 per 100,000 people
= 18 Latvia: 339 per 100,000 people
# 20 Saint Kitts and Nevis: 338 per 100,000 people
# 21 Grenada: 333 per 100,000 people
# 22 Botswana: 327 per 100,000 people
# 23 Swaziland: 324 per 100,000 people
# 24 Mongolia: 303 per 100,000 people
# 25 Antigua and Barbuda: 278 per 100,000 people
# 26 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 270 per 100,000 people
# 27 Namibia: 267 per 100,000 people
# 28 Tunisia: 253 per 100,000 people
# 29 Taiwan: 250 per 100,000 people
# 30 Saint Lucia: 243 per 100,000 people
# 31 Lithuania: 234 per 100,000 people
# 32 Costa Rica: 229 per 100,000 people
# 33 Iran: 226 per 100,000 people
# 34 Mauritius: 214 per 100,000 people
# 35 Poland: 210 per 100,000 people
# 36 Uruguay: 209 per 100,000 people
# 37 Seychelles: 207 per 100,000 people
# 38 Chile: 204 per 100,000 people
# 39 Azerbaijan: 198 per 100,000 people
# 40 Romania: 193 per 100,000 people
# 41 Uzbekistan: 184 per 100,000 people
# 42 Czech Republic: 178 per 100,000 people
= 43 Morocco: 176 per 100,000 people
= 43 Jamaica: 176 per 100,000 people
# 45 Guyana: 175 per 100,000 people
# 46 Israel: 174 per 100,000 people
# 47 Libya: 173 per 100,000 people
# 48 Honduras: 172 per 100,000 people
= 49 Mexico: 169 per 100,000 people
= 49 Brazil: 169 per 100,000 people
= 51 Slovakia: 165 per 100,000 people
= 51 Hungary: 165 per 100,000 people
= 53 Malaysia: 161 per 100,000 people
= 53 Tajikistan: 161 per 100,000 people
# 55 New Zealand: 160 per 100,000 people
# 56 El Salvador: 158 per 100,000 people
# 57 Dominican Republic: 157 per 100,000 people
# 58 Bahrain: 155 per 100,000 people
# 59 Georgia: 148 per 100,000 people
# 60 Lebanon: 146 per 100,000 people
# 61 Spain: 144 per 100,000 people
= 62 Lesotho: 143 per 100,000 people
= 62 Nicaragua: 143 per 100,000 people
= 64 Madagascar: 130 per 100,000 people
= 64 Portugal: 130 per 100,000 people
= 66 Cameroon: 129 per 100,000 people
= 66 Burundi: 129 per 100,000 people
# 68 Bulgaria: 127 per 100,000 people
# 69 Colombia: 126 per 100,000 people
# 70 Zambia: 121 per 100,000 people
# 71 China: 119 per 100,000 people
# 72 Fiji: 117 per 100,000 people
= 73
Canada: 116 per 100,000 people
= 73 Australia: 116 per 100,000 people
= 73 Tanzania: 116 per 100,000 people
# 76 Netherlands: 112 per 100,000 people
= 77 Luxembourg: 111 per 100,000 people
= 77 Kenya: 111 per 100,000 people
= 79 Central African Republic: 110 per 100,000 people
= 79 Algeria: 110 per 100,000 people
= 79 Saudi Arabia: 110 per 100,000 people
# 82 Rwanda: 109 per 100,000 people
# 83 Argentina: 107 per 100,000 people
= 84 Tonga: 106 per 100,000 people
= 84 Jordan: 106 per 100,000 people
= 86 Albania: 105 per 100,000 people
= 86 Sri Lanka: 105 per 100,000 people
# 88 Peru: 104 per 100,000 people
= 89 Kuwait: 102 per 100,000 people
= 89 Bolivia: 102 per 100,000 people
= 91 Austria: 100 per 100,000 people
= 91 Italy: 100 per 100,000 people
# 93
Germany: 96 per 100,000 people = 94 Qatar: 95 per 100,000 people
= 94
France: 95 per 100,000 people
# 96 Philippines: 94 per 100,000 people
# 97 Syria: 93 per 100,000 people
= 98 Armenia: 92 per 100,000 people
= 98 Turkey: 92 per 100,000 people
# 100 Andorra: 90 per 100,000 people
# 101 Belgium: 88 per 100,000 people
= 102 Yemen: 83 per 100,000 people
= 102 Greece: 83 per 100,000 people
= 104 Benin: 81 per 100,000 people
= 104 Oman: 81 per 100,000 people
# 106 Sao Tome and Principe: 79 per 100,000 people
# 107 Venezuela: 76 per 100,000 people
= 108
Sweden: 75 per 100,000 people
= 108 Paraguay: 75 per 100,000 people
= 110
Switzerland: 72 per 100,000 people
= 110
Denmark: 72 per 100,000 people
= 110 Malta: 72 per 100,000 people
= 113 Vietnam: 71 per 100,000 people
= 113
Finland: 71 per 100,000 people
# 115 Malawi: 70 per 100,000 people
# 116 Guatemala: 68 per 100,000 people
# 117 Papua New Guinea: 66 per 100,000 people
= 118
Norway: 64 per 100,000 people
= 118 Croatia: 64 per 100,000 people
# 120 Djibouti: 61 per 100,000 people
= 121 Ecuador: 59 per 100,000 people
= 121 Pakistan: 59 per 100,000 people
= 121 Slovenia: 59 per 100,000 people
= 124 Tuvalu: 56 per 100,000 people
= 124 Kiribati: 56 per 100,000 people
= 126 Senegal: 54 per 100,000 people
= 126 Japan: 54 per 100,000 people