Wow, was this eye-opening. More than one in every 100 American adults are behind bars -- a record -- according to an Associated Press report. Attention has been drawn to this issue as states face budget cuts and increasing pressure to let go of low-risk offenders.

Using state-by-state data, the report says 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison at the start of 2008 one out of every 99.1 adults. Whether per capita or in raw numbers, it's more than any other nation.

The report, released Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.

And then we wonder why our schools face high staff turnover and "achievement gaps." Look at our priorities!  

I actually learned about this story through MomsRising, which is fighting $300 million in funding cuts for afterschool programs by the Bush Administration.