tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post111597413316876060..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: A defeat for the 'lock-em-up league'Gritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-1116001484610994992005-05-13T11:24:00.000-05:002005-05-13T11:24:00.000-05:00That's also you wanting your taxes raised in order...That's also you wanting your taxes raised in order to pay $15,000 per year to incarcerate nonviolent offenders, most of whom otherwise would be paying taxes instead of fed, clothed and sheltered by taxpayers. That's not a very wise public policy.<BR/><BR/>One in 20 Texans is in prison, on probation or parole, about twice the national average. I think that's because our policies criminalize more conduct more severely, not because Texans are twice as likely to be criminals. In fact, as Texas' incarceration rate increased, the crime rate fell much less than in other states where the increase was less. For many nonviolent offenders, incarceration harms public safety more than protects it. The just-passed probation bill recognizes that.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.com