I like the idea of not locking up people you don't have to lock up. Makes room for the truly dangerous violent and incorriblible criminals to stay in prison, but...
Crime peaked in the early 90s. And went downhill from there until very recently. Cutting the cops off at the knees and provided an incentive for the cops not to be as diligent. So there is a crime rate uptick.
Yeah. And the early 90s were a time of extra incarceration, so crime may have gone down because there was fewer felons in public circulation.
"But they were putting innocent guys in jail!" Yeah, I'm with you there. Don't do that.
"But they were putting guys in jail for just a little weed!" Yeah, maybe weed guy was a very violent felon, but the easiest thing to convict him on was for the pound of weed they found on him? Did guys go to prison for 30 years ONLY for a J hidden in his hat band?
We shall see, I guess. If crime rates stay low or lowish, I'll be glad to eat crow. That'd be great. I'll ask for seconds.
Lockup = punish. Without any serious punishment those that do the crime will do it again.
ReplyDeleteAs long as there is money to be made by corporations to lock people up (and have them manufacture stuff for pennies), there will be high incarceration rates.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the private sector taking on former government jobs, but this is one responsibility that belongs firmly in the hands of the feds and states.