By AP/KWMU
Kansas City, MO – Federal statistics show one in 20 adult men is either behind bars or on parole in Missouri.
An analysis of U.S. Justice Department data by The Kansas City Star found Missouri to have the eighth-highest imprisonment rate in the country.
The state's total prison population of 30,000 has doubled since 1990. So, too, have the costs, to $575 million a year. That makes the Corrections Department's budget the second-fastest growing in state government.
The inmate population numbers include about 15,000 non-violent offenders who cost taxpayers about $195 million a year.
Corrections experts say the increase is part of a nationwide trend of tougher crime laws and stricter sentencing practices.