Increasing US Prisons Population

Prisons in the United States are full; prison populations have grown significantly over the past few decades. At the same time, crime rates are down considerably.

Perform research regarding the reasons behind the increasing U.S. prison population and write a paper in APA format, using proper spelling and grammar. Your paper should be a minimum of 1 page in length and should address the following:

1. Given that crime rates have gone down, why are prison populations so high?
2. How might the influences of neoclassical thinking be involved?