This is totally insane. I guess there’s a lot of profit to be made incarcerating citizens, that is the only explication I can come up with (oh, yes, and racially-biased and outrageous mandatory sentencing for minor drug offenses). Welcome back to the Middle Ages (American edition).
Data sources: 2010 OECD World Factbook & USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics
That’s a lot of money for someone who made a joke of his last name (in F1 and in Sprint Cup nonetheless). And I think his claim that he didn’t get the right equipment has been solidly debunked by the performance of Kahne in the #4 Red Bull Toyota (basically, his old car).