1 in 31 U.S. Adults are Behind Bars, on Parole or Probation

The Pew Report linked here good source for the sobering data on incarceration rates in the United States.

In the past two decades, state general fund spending on corrections increased by more than 300 percent, outpacing other essential government services from education, to transportation and public assistance. Only Medicaid spending has grown faster.  Today, corrections imposes a national taxpayer burden of $68 billion a year.  Despite this increased spending, recidivism rates have remained largely unchanged.

The full report and individual reports for each state are available as PDF downloads at the bottom of the page.