The United States jails about 1 out of every 100 of its citizens -- more than 2 million people, according to a report released late last month by the Pew Center on the States. Not only that, but the rate of incarceration has increased in recent years, further straining state budgets that are already tight. And what are we getting for all of that money? According to Pew, not very much.

Perhaps it's time to listen to activists who have been saying for years that there has to be a better way.

One of those activists, radical scholar Angela Davis, spoke at my campus last month about her call for a prison abolition movement. Like the abolitionists of an earlier era, part of her quest was to get her audience to recognize how our reliance on incarceration distorts the character of those of us who are free.

Davis began thinking about prison abolition when she herself was incarcerated in the early 1970s. The University of California-Davis philosophy professor spent 16 months in jail on charges that she abetted a violent attempt to break Soledad Brother author George Jackson out of prison. She became an international cause celebre and was ultimately acquitted. In a conversation with Dylan Rodriguez, she reflected on the lesson she took from that time:

"There was a relationship, as George Jackson had insisted, between the rising numbers of political prisoners and the imprisonment of increasing numbers of poor people of color. If prison was the state-sanctioned destination for activists such as myself, it was also used as a surrogate solution to social problems associated with poverty and racism. Although imprisonment was equated with rehabilitation in the dominant discourse at that time, it was obvious to us that its primary purpose was repression."

To some in her audience at TCNJ, Davis' call for prison abolition seemed to minimize the suffering of crime victims. In response to a question from an audience member, Davis shared that a close friend of hers had been murdered some years back, and she felt an overwhelming desire to see her killer suffer. But she learned that he had been a troubled Vietnam vet, and after conversations with her friend's family, she concluded that more violence solved nothing.

Blogger Jillian Hernandez makes an argument that parallels Davis':

"... So if someone has taken the life of another person, isn’t there something mentally wrong with him or her? For someone to dismiss the idea of all consequences and morality and take a life, there has to have been something wrong. Based on this idea, should they receive harsh punishment, even though their crime is arguably heinous? No. The mentally ill and criminally insane, again, need rehabilitation. Putting someone away forever will not help them to improve their lives or reform themselves. It will only label them as criminals and prevent them from ever moving on. Prisons are allegedly used to protect people. What about those who are the “danger”? Are they not people? If the danger is themselves, shouldn’t they be protected by being rehabilitated rather than punished?"

Another blogger, Mary Ann Gallager says the cost of incarceration may finally force the consideration of alternatives:

"Overwhelmingly, those incarcerated come from the least educated, most impoverished neighborhoods. If the distress of low-income communities and communities of color hadn’t got anyone’s attention, the price tag for putting and keeping people in jail or prison finally has. States, alone, are paying nearly $50 billion annually, on a par now with their spending for higher education.

"Statistical comparisons with K-12 education are even more shocking. According to the Justice Policy Institute, spending at the local, state and federal level on K-12 education rose 33% over the past 20 years, while spending on incarceration rose 571 %. During this same time period, the number of K-12 teachers fell 8%, while the number of guards rose 250%; and the number of K-12 schools rose less than 3%, while the number of lockup facilities rose nearly 200%."

Jeremy Spalt argues that we should find alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders, but extend prison terms for violent felons. Commenting on the Pew Report, Spatz said:

"This is a massive failure of our criminal justice system. We spend far too much money on far too many prisoners. While there are many ways to reduce the prisoner population, some of the most urgent are finding alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders, reducing the use of mandatory minimums, ending the drug war and stiffer jail terms for violent offenders."

There is much more to say here. The Eisenhower Foundation has a list of disturbing trends associated with the incarceration boom as well as recommendations for what helps build communities that deter people from crime. Gess considers our increasing dependence on the prison-industrial complex.

Princeton University Prof. Melissa Harris Lacewell takes exception to those who say the incarceration boom, particularly among people of color, reflects failings of character. She recently took Sen. Barack Obama to task for a speech in which he exhorted black parents to do a better job raising their children:

"It is just false to believe that bad behavior leads to bad outcomes. Anyone who has spent time with the wealthy, white and privileged knows that bad habits, deviant behavior and criminal activities are standard practice. This is true for the Ivy-League kids cooking up Robitussin in their dorm rooms and for the CEOs earning millions off the backs of international child labor. All you have to do is turn on Access Hollywood to see that addiction, child neglect and out-of-wedlock births are perfectly acceptable as long as wealth and privilege are providing a safety net.

"Bad behavior only destroys life opportunities, shuts of accomplishments and follows you forever if you are marginalized. Poor black youth in cities and in decimated rural communities have no space to make mistakes. Barack’s analysis fell into an easy claim that if we just “live right” everything will be “alright”. Brother, if it were that simple we should have wrapped up this whole racial inequality thing 100 years ago."

You can read quotes and see a clip of Obama's remarks here.

Below, there's a lecture by Prof. Davis on Prisons and Democracy, recorded at UC Davis. What do you think we should do reverse the growing trend toward incarceration?