Drug offenders accounted for most of the increase. USA Today, May 1, 1995. It is hardly a secret that severe drug laws, with long mandatory sentences for nonviolent offenses, are the reason for the enormous increase in our prison population in recent years. Nor is it a secret that the policy of harsh punishment does not work. Anthony Lewis, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 22, 1995.
Most criminals fall into one of two categories.
Those who are so stupid or goofy that they don't ever think about consequences, and those who are profit-motivated and believe the potential take is worth the risk. There isn't much we can do about the stupid or goofy. But since the sale and use of drugs are behind much of the profit-driven crime, we might think about changing our drug policies. It's obvious that drug use can't be stopped. The federal government hardly tries anymore.