Reading 9 Douglas N. Husak, “Liberal Neutrality and Drug Prohibitions,” Ethics, Vol. 110 (2000).

The most significant trend in the last decade that reflects a shift in the delicate balance between state power and individual liberty is the tremendous increase in the rate of incarceration. The total number of Americans jailed or imprisoned has recently exceeded 2 million, more than triple the rate of 1980. The incarceration ratio of 645 persons per 100,000 is perhaps the highest in the world, and almost certainly will rise in the foreseeable future.1