More than one adult out of 100 [in the U.S.] is currently behind bars -- the highest percentage in history -- reports The Pew Charitable Trusts.

That translates to 2,319,258 prisoners. The Pew's report, "One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008", breaks down the numbers state by state, focusing largely on the financial toll. In the interest of brevity, let's just focus on the big picture: In 2007, the US collectively spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years ago.

Even more disturbing, though, are the demographics. Men outnumber women, and black men grossly outnumber whites. Roughly one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, while among black men that figure soars to one out of nine. Among black women in their mid- to late-30s, about one in 100 is currently serving time, while among white women that number is only one in 355.

But the recidivism rate -- or how frequently ex-cons return to jail -- has remained constant, and many new inmates are low-level offenders whose misdemeanors have landed them in maximum security prisons because of policies like the "three strikes" law in California.

Despite that law, though, California's prison population actually dropped by 4,000 inmates in 2007, granting Texas the dubious distinction of having the highest inmate population in the country, at 172,000.

If you've ever seen The Farm: Angola, USA, a fantastic documentary depicting the terrible fates of several inmates at a Louisiana prison, this information is likely to be doubly upsetting. That film, which received an academy award in 1998, is among the best indictments of our prison system I've ever seen. It shows the cold reality of prison -- its endless hours of boredom, its ability to rob a person's will to live, its inhuman habitat.

Ultimately, these statistics indicate that racism plays a significant role in who goes to prison and why. The War on Drugs, much of it hysterical -- long sentences in states like Texas are still meted out to low level marijuana users -- impacts disproportionately on minorities. The recent Federal court decision to lower sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine, is a step in the right direction. "The guidelines were revised to reduce the differences in terms meted out for crack convictions compared to people convicted on charges involving powder cocaine." As has been amply documented, low income people are more likely to use crack than a white collar drug like cocaine. More work in reforming unfair drug laws could help alleviate the inequality.