If They Freed Me From This Prison, If That Railroad Train Were Mine...

The US prison population continues to grow. According to the report, 2.3 million Americans were behind bars in 2007, 1.5 percent more than in 2006 and a new record. The number includes about 780,000 people in local jails, 1.4 million in state prisons, and 200,000 in federal prison. Roughly one in five state prisoners and more than half of federal prisoners were serving time for drug offenses. Do you feel safer now? According to Jacon Sullum, we continue incarcerate our own at a much, much higher rate than any other western democracy. Uncle Joe Stalin would be, oh, so proud.