Tough on Crime

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Stephen Unger <unger () cs columbia edu>
Date: January 20, 2010 8:56:54 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Tough on Crime

Dave,

Here is an item to consider for ip.

Steve
............
The "tough on crime" attitude, essential for American politicians for
decades, has created a population explosion in state and federal
prisons. Inside the walls, it has produced a harsh environment where
the idea of trying to rehabilitate wrong doers has been largely
abandoned as "coddling".

So most graduates of the system return after short sabbaticals on the
street. Many, initially imprisoned as drug users or car thieves, return
after committing more violent crimes. The sad consequences to the
criminals and to their families are obvious. But the rest of us also
suffer as victims of crimes that might have been avoided by a decent
system. We also lose financially due to higher insurance rates,
security costs, and taxes to support a bloated criminal justice
system, including the added prisons.

More on this problem and possible solutions are at:
http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~unger/myBlog/endsandmeansblog.html

Steve

Stephen H. Unger
Professor Emeritus
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Columbia University
............




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