well...I hate to interject another perspective to the discussion, but some points have been missed...

regarding "..Early intervention, counselling, rehab., etc. is definitely more cost effective".....
perhaps so- that is yet to be demonstrated definitively. It would certainly be a more desirable way, even if the cost were a bit higher. It is the case, however that until that is demonstrated and accomplished, we have both costs to deal with. Education/counseling programs must be developed, tested and evaluated and decisions made as to whether they are, as I said, reducing problems or merely applying band-aids.

Therefore- while we are attempting to educate, we must incarcerate, and we must incarcerate those who are committing the crimes, no matter what their race or ethnicity. I am well aware of the statistics regarding prison population, just as I am aware of the heated arguments about why this imbalance exists. Unfortunately, statistics do not do a lot to clarify causality.

In major league sports- baseball, football and especially basketball, minority ethnic groups are also in the majority, or tending that way. Is THIS 'unfair'? At one time, minority players were not allowed on major league teams, and that was clearly unfair. Now that competition is the deciding factor, it is common to see a basketball team with only black players. Obviously, there are multiple factors which favor them when deciding the composition of a team. We could argue all day whether it is social pressure, hereditary size or dogged determination which makes a good basketball player--and the answer is no doubt some undefinable combination. (There is hot debate in some quarters over whether "quick-twitch" muscles are hereditary or developed, and thus, whether African-Americans have a physical advantage...some are sure they do - some disagree)

So, I submit, the same questions are relevant for the prison population. If you are going to design educational programs, you need to know what you are up against....that is, to what degree you are combating poverty, discrimination and personal image, and to what degree cultural attitudes and social conditioning that operate semi-independently?

I can describe at length several other areas where it is not always clear WHY a problem exists (driving habits, language differences..etc) but in almost all of these issues, just suggesting that certain ideas should be examined as possible components of the overall problem is a very delicate matter and often highly 'politically incorrect'. It is my opinion that much NEEDED study is never undertaken because of fear that some group (or, often groups) will be offended and object--usually even before any conclusions are drawn!

If we are going to solve the problems of prisons, as well as other related social problems, we will have to get beyond the pressures of those who have a vested interest in the answers.