I am repelled by the notion of treating people, even convicts, as commodities. As someone pointed out, if everyone who was convicted got their max sentence, 39% of our population would be behind bars.
Let me explain. If you are going to put people in prison for a gazillion laws, that is fine. If it is so expensive that you have to build prison tent cities to house them in your State, that is also fine.
But when you so easily send people to prison, then refuse to accept that you have to pay for that, and instead treat them as if they were cattle, not human beings, that can be shipped off to be out of sight, the entire concept has gotten out of control.
First of all, the vast majority of these prisoners are "non-violent drug offenders". The logic of putting people in violent, gang-ridden, PYITA prisons for years, because "smoking marijuana might hurt them", is insane.
If just they are released from prison, most of the prisons in the United States would be more than half empty. No more overcrowding, with all its problems, and no more prison guard unions the size of the Teamsters.
Second, it is a primary responsibility of government to keep and maintain prisons. I couldn't be less comfortable if some corporate rent-a-cops replaced all the policemen in my city.
And next on the list are the tobacco smokers. We'll have more prisons than WalMarts.
According to Bureau of Justice Statistics numbers here, as of 2002 21% of state prison inmates were in on drug related charges.
From the same source, also for 2002, 25% of jail inmates were in on drug related charges. 11% were simple possession, the balance were distribution.
From the second source, 55 of federal prisoners were drug related as of 2001 but that was not broken down by offense.
That is still too many, but wildly exaggerated claims of easily verifiable numbers do all sides a disservice.