This election season keeps putting Texas under national microscopes. Unfortunately, most outsiders fail to see Texas through the lenses. A case in point comes from the Justice Policy Institute in D.C., an inauspicious place from which to criticize policies in the Lone Star State, especially with the ample flow of crimes, political and otherwise, occurring in our nation s capital. The study never tells us. If there are cheaper and more sensible methods that work, Texans would love to hear about it.
Adjectives can be weasel words.
The risk of punishment is not the sole determinant of crime, but incentives matter in criminal activity, just as in all human endeavor. To assert otherwise dehumanizes criminals. In fact, there s a ton of sophisticated studies that show the criminal justice system prevents a great deal of crime. Let s admit that prison is a sad and expensive necessity. Some folks just need lockin up, for a while or a long time.