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Quick facts: Did you know?
- There are 2.2. million people incarcerated in the United States.
- Two-thirds of the 2 million people in prison in the U.S. are African American or Hispanic.
- Women are the fastest-growing sector of the prison population.
- More than 1.5 million children have a parent in prison.
- Some 80 percent of the men and women behind bars – approximately 1.4 million individuals – are seriously involved with drug and alcohol abuse.
- Those convicted of drug offenses comprise 60 percent of the federal prison population, up from 38 percent in 1986 when mandatory sentencing laws were passed.
- A 1998 RAND study found that mandatory sentences are the least cost-effective means of reducing drug use and sales.
- The average cost of incarcerating an individual for a year is more than $23,000.