Nearly Half of U.S. Prisoners Locked Up for Drug Offenses

More weedmen than rapists behind bars

Here’s another reason to feel safer on the streets. In 2011, the U.S. prison population went down, but the number of non-violent offenders went up. According to the Department of Justice, 48 percent of American inmates are behind bars for drug crimes, while 11 percent are locked up for immigration violations. Even the decline in the prison population can’t be attributed to less people getting locked up. Because of budget cuts, many prisoners are just getting shuffled around and shifted to state and county jails. (Think Progress)

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