American Prisons

Adam Gopnik's New Yorker article on America's high rates of incarceration is a great read. Gopnik argues that mass incarceration is unjust, destructive and does not actually account for the steep decline in crime rates since the 1970s. Gopnik makes a compelling case that both liberals and conservatives are wrong about why crime rates have fallen and how to keep crime rates low without mass incarceration. This is far and away the best article I've read on America's incarceration policies in a long time.

Comments

[NMissC]

Before I go read it, I'm putting down what I think has caused a drop in crime rates: Mostly the aging of the population. When people get older, they are less likely to commit crimes.

[Blogtruth.wordpress.com]

Legalize drugs: the main source of income for criminal organizations and gangs is gone, lower the incarceration rate, increased personal liberty. Problems solved.

I also read that corporations with interest in prison populations staying high spend millions of dollars on fighting for increasingly strict drug laws. It seems obvious they know where their income comes from...

Prohibition failed - it seems obvious what we should do.

[Dr X]

Blogtruth, Both important points.

[Donna B.]

Intriguing article. I ordered Stuntz's book.

[Dr X]

Donna,

That was the first I'd heard about Stuntz. His work sounds fascinating.