The data showing that imprisonments went up in the Carolinas between 2001 and 2002 while crime rates generally dropped has some folks asking: What's wrong with this picture? In their view, the data suggest that the states jail people unnecessarily.

That may be true with some minor drug crimes, a problem Carolina lawmakers should correct. And it's never right to railroad innocent people into prison.

But high crime rates generally are the handiwork of relatively few people committing many crimes. So the 2001-2002 imprisonment statistics make sense to us. When jails are full, career criminals are off the streets and crime rates go down.

What's wrong with this picture? Nothing.