Land of the Incarcerated

1 In 100 Americans Behind Bars, Report Says


For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America’s rank as the world’s No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars.

Using state-by-state data, the report says 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison at the start of 2008 — one out of every 99.1 adults. Whether per capita or in raw numbers, it’s more than any other nation.

The report, released Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what we should do: Legalize all drugs, tax and regulate them just like alcohol. Get rid of victim-less crimes. If we did that then it would be mostly
"Bad Guys" in prison. There would still have to be traffic laws and laws to protect minors and things to be worked out but if we did these things, maybe America could really be The Land of the Free once again.