Politicians, however, seem to have interpreted the public's clear desire for greater safety as a mandate for more and harsher prisons. And they are not the same thing at all. There are signs that America is beginning to recognize the limits of prison. But past policies continue to exert expansionary pressure. Though the smallest rise in decades, that still meant that 31,000 more Americans were behind bars.
Incarceration is an effective way to isolate really awful people.
But too many prisons stuffed with nonviolent, idle inmates is simply wasteful, of both people and money. Instead of being exceptional for its willingness to jail its citizens, the goal for America should be to become exceptional in the application of wisdom to its criminal population. At the moment, it is not even close. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. All rights reserved.