By the Numbers

$500 billion

The amount the federal government pays private contractors annually to provide government services (up from $200 billion in 2000)

25

Percent of all federal discretionary spending that goes to private contractors

83

Percent more the government paid private contractors than federal employees in 35 job classifications studied by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO)

2

Number of job classifications in which private contractors were less expensive than federal employees, according to the study

25

Percent of the world’s prison population living in U.S. prisons

2.3 million

The number of people in U.S. prisons, fewer than half of them jailed for violent crimes

$77 billion

The amount spent on prisons in the U.S. each year

40

Percent of U.S. prisoners who are black

33

Percent of black American men who will spend at least one year of their life in prison

Sources: Project On Government Oversight; New York Times