“For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population and urging states to rein in corrections costs with alternative sentencing programs.
“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.”
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipF-Lz4nGCFYTeGsR30hQPYopFhgD8V3EC6O1
I thank God for all the diligent legislators who tirelessly pass new laws year after year. Without them we might not even recognize all the criminality around us!