PrawfsBlawg: Setting the Stage: The Explosion in Prison Populations

What would be the effect of just saying No to Nancy Reagan's war on drugs?

I would have guessed a 30% reduction in prison population, and I'm *FOR* the war on drugs.  Many libertarians have suggested far higher- citing the 1,175% increase in drug arrests since 1980.

A mathematician crunches the numbers- and the results are surprising to say the least.

PrawfsBlawg: Setting the Stage: The Explosion in Prison Populations:

Says that the real rise in prison population has been only 380%- and that eliminating the war on drugs, we would STILL have had a 300% increase in prisoners over the last 33 years.

He shows his numbers http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2013/04/some-more-evidence-against-the-war-on-drugs-hypothesis.html">here
, showing that because *violent crime* makes for *longer sentences*, non violent crime is simply NOT the most important segment in prison population growth.
Simply legalizing drugs will NOT pay the dividends most people think.