Question

What does this sentence mean?

"One explanation is the associated costs of maintaining prisons and the recession in the U.S. from December 2007 to June 2009."
Quoted from "Fewer Americans going to Prison, highlighting a shift in U.S. policy"
PLZ HELP ASAP! THX! :)

Answer 1

This sentence basically means that an explanation to the problem was the costs of prisons and the recession in the U.S during the times of December 2007 through June 2009.