Number 1 in the Nation...

From 2Millionth Web Log

...in locking people up, that is:

One out of every 55 Louisiana residents is behind bars, a higher incarceration rate than any other state, according to research released today by a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group.

One in 26 Louisiana adults is under correctional control, if probation and parole are included, the group found.

The Pew Center for the States study of 2007 U.S. Census data found that Louisiana's incarceration rate spiked by 272 percent since 1982. That rate of increase is far from the nation's highest of 357 percent in North Dakota, and not far from Mississippi's 256 percent increase. Neighbor states Texas and Arkansas have seen increases around 200 percent.

And it's not like things are getting any safer...