The following is an excerpt from letter from Shan Cretin, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

No other country imprisons more people than the United States. In 2014 over 1.5 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. at a cost of $80 billion—approximately $51,250 per person imprisoned. The U.S. has just 5% of the world’s population, but the number of people behind bars in our country makes up 25% of the entire world’s prison population.

This incarceration epidemic is a moral crisis that hits hard on communities of color and the poor. Imagine if just a fraction of the billions being spent on mass incarceration was directed towards public schools, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, job training, and other services to keep people out of prison.

For information about AFSC’s efforts to end mass incarceration and how you can make a donation, visit the AFSC website.