Two decades ago, state and local governments spent $30 billion less on prisons than they did on public colleges and universities. Now they’re spending the same amount on both.

Between 1989-1990 and 2012-2013, state and local governments increased spending on higher education from $67 billion to $71 billion, or about 5%, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Education. But during the same period, states increased spending on prisons from about $37 billion to $71 billion, or by 89%, the report found.

State spending on prisons has grown way faster than state spending on higher education over the past few decades. Terrence Horan

The growth in prison spending is largely a result of the uptick in incarceration rates over the past several years. Between 1980 and 2014, the number of people behind bars in state and local facilities grew from 490,000 to more than 2 million, the report notes.

The analysis is one piece of a broader push by the Obama administration to curb mass incarceration, which includes My Brother’s Keeper, a program which aims to increase economic opportunity for young men, particularly those of color. Last month, officials also announced efforts to help smooth formerly incarcerated individuals’ transition back into society including by allowing 12,000 prisoners to access Pell Grants, the money the government gives low- and middle-income students for college, to take classes behind bars.

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett also called on Congress to take up the issue. A bipartisan group of Senators unveiled legislation earlier this year that would address mandatory minimum sentences, among other issues. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has to take up the legislation in order for it to move forward.

By spotlighting the contrast in state funding between education and corrections, the report also implicates state and local governments in the growth in the nation’s prison population over the past few decades. Reform advocates have argued that much of that growth is because lower level offenders are more likely to end up in prison than in the past and prisoners charged with all crimes are likely to stay longer.

Summer safety: How should you respond to a drowning?

Education could also play a role in preventing Americans from ending up behind bars by providing them with more opportunities, they say. The report cites data indicating that meaningful increases in high school graduation rates could help decrease criminal arrest rates. “This report is really about calling on states and local governments to re-evaluate their priorities,” John King, the secretary of education, said on a conference call with reporters.

Though the report doesn’t deal directly with the role higher education can play in keeping Americans out of prison, the gap between the growth in state spending on prisons and higher education indicates where state and local leaders are placing their attention, officials said. During the economic downturn — and the slow recovery after it — states cut back on funding higher education, which many researchers have linked to increases in tuition and debt.

Between 1989-1990 and 2012-2013, spending in every state on corrections per capita grew faster than spending on higher education per full-time student, the report found.

“Budgets reflect our values and this disparity is a reflection of priorities that need revisiting,” King said.