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.
That one percent makes the US more than just #1 in per-capita terms; in terms of raw number of prisoners, we beat even China, a nation with about four times our population.
Although Rhode Island isn't one of the four states which spend more on corrections than on higher education (those would be Vermont—which spends $1.37 on corrections for every $1 spent on public universities and community colleges—Michigan, Oregon and Connecticut), we do spend more per prisoner ($44,860 per year) than any other state.
And finally, a few figures that should surprise no one:
"For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling," the report said. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine."
The racial disparity for women also is stark. One of every 355 white women aged 35 to 39 is behind bars, compared with one of every 100 black women in that age group.
