Kieran Healy over at Crooked Timber has examined a new study on the US penal system and posted some of its more remarkable findings, including this eye-grabber: "A startling 58.9 percent of black high school dropouts born from 1965 through 1969 had served time in state or federal prison by their early 30s."

POSTSCRIPT: As a Clinton-style law and order Democrat, I have to admit that I'm a little leery about arguing for truly radical reform in the American criminal justice system. But these kinds of numbers are too disturbing to ignore. And if those of us who call ourselves New Democrats are really serious about the "Democrat" part of that formulation, we need to be willing to use some of the credibility we've built up with moderate voters on this issue to start making the case for real and, yes, responsible change. Otherwise, our critics on the left may well have a point when they claim that the Third Way is just conservatism with a smiling face.

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