NEW YORK (CNN) - One out of every 31 adults in this country is either in prison, jail or under court supervision. That’s 7.2 million people.
A new Justice Department report shows that at the end of last year there were more than 2.2 million men and women in prison or jail. And the number of people on probation or parole topped 5 million for the first time.
A record 905,000 of America's prison and jail inmates are African American, and the number of women in prison is at a record high of more than 112,000.
This all suggests that when it comes to our criminal population, the numbers keep trending upwards. The Justice Department says this increase is keeping pace with expanding capacity in prisons and jails. Congress and state legislatures have been passing laws with stiffer sentencing to help crack down on crime.
Critics say the current system is too expensive. It costs about 25,000 dollars per inmate per year. They also point to high recidivism rates.
Here’s my question to you: What does it say about the U.S. when about 1 in 31 adults are either behind bars or under court supervision?
Click here and scroll down to the bottom to add your comment, and maybe I'll read it on-air in The Situation Room today.