As some of our readers might know by now, I'm not a believer in the drug war. It has not solved the problem and seems to incarcerate a lot of people that are doing no harm to anyone but themselves.

But like most issues, mass incarceration is a little more complicated than a gut feeling.

That's why I found this months (September 2015) at CATO Unbound so interesting.

Daniel D'Amico leads off with follow up essays from Mike Riggs, Susanne Karstedt, and Adam Gelb.

Following is the summary for D'Amico's essay.

Why Nations Jail

"Daniel D’Amico begins his look at American mass incarceration by placing it in international context: Yes, we all know that we are a nation of jailers. But what have other countries been doing differently? Or the same? He notes that in recent years many other countries have dramatically increased their incarceration rates and incarcerated populations as well. He examines several proposed causes for our high incarceration rate, including racism, our free-market economic system, and our War on Drugs. He finds the latter the most persuasive of the frequently mentioned culprits. But then he proposes a new theory: Mass incarceration is particularly bad here – and in certain other countries – because of the public choice effects inherent in common law systems."

Click here to read all the essays in the series online here…