US leads all in per capita incarceration rates

I found some eye-opening and disturbing statistics at The Center for Economic Policy Research which had me thinking about a previous post discussing ways to close the state budget gap through prison reforms.  The US has the highest per capita incarceration rates in the world.  The CEPR estimated that states and local govs could save over 14 billion a year if the rates were dropped to 1993 levels.  You know those same govs that are threatening to shut down schools and hospitals.  We shouldn't have to wait for a fiscal crisis to treat people better, but for some of us it takes a crash before we take notice.

"The Land of the Free......?"

Thanks for the read.