Prisons exist to punish dangerous criminals, and to keep them out of our midst. That is about all prisons can do, and we ought to use them for that purpose. It is hard to make a speech about crime these days, because for the last 8 years politicians have over-promised so badly. Nixon promised law and order, and gave us instead high crimes and misdemeanors. I don't have all the answers either.
Crime is a problem that concerns nearly everyone.
And yet it has grown and flourished. Unlike disease and even war, crime has resisted all our efforts to contain and reduce it. The solution has eluded us with greater success for a longer time than any in our history. This impotence breeds fear and fear kills hope. So I have tried not to promise you things I can't deliver.