The U.S. Department of Education has published a policy brief comparing state and local funding for prisons and jails to support for K-12 education. Funding for prisons and jails has increased at three times the rate as spending on education. A modest increase in high school graduation rates may result in a decline in arrest rates. The United States spends more than $80 billion annually on corrections. The Department’s new report suggests that a better path forward would be i