Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Evidence-based options to reduce prison construction, crime rates

Via Doc Berman and Corrections Sentencing, see the new report from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy entitled "Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice Costs, and Crime Rates" (pdf).

Given Texas' current prison overincarceration crisis, this report should be must reading for Texas pols who want to avoid spending $2 billion to construct and staff new prisons.

1 comment:

800 pound gorilla said...

I see a HUGE problem in these stats. They are heavily dependent on people reporting crimes. When police don't even bother with most crimes, people are more inclined to not report these crimes. The "drop off in crime" is likely a phantom due to citizen taxpayers becoming inured to police inaction. Why bother being grilled by police if they won't catch the culprit and return the property? Why bother if the police actual confiscate their property under profit sharing with criminals. Often, in most states, this is done without a conviction and with no real public hearing. Police in Oregon are whining about Measure 3, passed in 2000 that required a conviction before they could steal property from suspected dealers. It hurts their funding for commando style drug raid squads.