Downsizing Prisons

From Sasha Abramsky's review of Michael Jacobson's book Downsizing Prisons at CityLimits.org, she writes:

Five years ago, the journalist Joel Dyer published The Perpetual Prisoner Machine. Dyer argued that a series of interlocking policies, budget choices, influences of tough-on-crime advocacy groups, and media representations of crime and punishment had come together to create an almost irresistible momentum toward expansion of the U.S. correctional apparatus. Whether crime went up or down, Dyer argued, enough people, businesses and government entities now had a vested interest in seeing the prison population rise that it would be extremely difficult to create effective counterweights.

Jacobson argues for creating such a counterforce to the status quo. It makes sense-- after all, we've been hearing tough-on-crime mumbo jumbo for decades and the results have not been spectacular. It's time to deal with crime in a more intelligent way and it's time for officials to recognize this. It's a great issue for the Dems if they can get it together. Saving money and reducing crime can still get Americans to vote for you. Actually, just telling them you're doing it and the other guy isn't also seems to work. But it's still better to do it for real.