Dallas DA: "We Must Be Smart On Crime"

So says the title of an op-ed by Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins in yesterday's Dallas News:

To progress in the war on crime ... we must realize the limitations of the "tough on crime" approach. If we are to succeed in ridding our community of crime, we must also be "smart on crime."

Today, more than 2 million people are in our federal and state prisons and 8 million Americans in jail, on probation or on parole. Collectively, the 50 states now spend more money building prisons than they spend on higher education. Yet fear of crime and reports of violent crime are roughly the same today as they were in the late 1960s. Moreover, the U.S. has the highest rate of violent crime of any industrialized nation.

Clearly, it takes much more than building prisons to keep our county safe. We must reject this simplistic and reactive approach to the crime problem. If we are going to be "smart on crime," we must ask ourselves, "What more can we do?"

When it comes to low-level offenders, we must consider alternative forms of punishment. Crime requires accountability, but incarceration without opportunity for reform and rehabilitation is not the solution. Its benefits are temporary and short-sighted. We must provide low-level offenders with the means and incentive to choose a lawful path in life when they re-enter our community. Only then will there be a lasting, positive impact on crime in our county.

That's a message I'd like to see more DA candidates carrying into the '08 elections next year. I think it's a winner.

Via StandDown Texas