Education vs Prison Costs 2 Favorite 

By publishing publicly available census data regarding education alongside the economics of prison, CNN Money has activated many people to disperse this information online, and contribute to a larger conversation around the issue of the Prison Industrial Complex, and the general privatization of the prison industry within the United States.

Source: U.S. Census Data and Vera Institute of JusticeGraphic: Tal Yellin / CNNMoney

Methodology

Education data was collected by the U.S. Census and covers public school children prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Prison data from the Vera Institute was collected in each state using a department of corrections survey. Corrections departments from 40 states completed and returned the survey, which asked respondents to provide prison expenditures paid by the department of corrections, as well as prison costs paid by other agencies.