Over the past few years, a number of policy types on the left and right have converged on the idea that America's absurdly large and punitive corrections system is too expensive and doesn't work very well. Being "tough on crime," though, has remained the default bipartisan position for many elected officials; Republicans and Democrats both remember how effective campaigning on crime issues once was. They seem to be behind public opinion, though -- a rather surprising Pew Survey shows a surprising level of agreement among Americans that the prison system is too big, too costly, and too focused on nonviolent offenders.
Some examples:
”We have too many low-risk, nonviolent offenders in prison. We need alternatives to incarceration that cost less and save our expensive prison space for violent and career criminals.”
65% strongly agree
86% total agree
”Prisons are a government program, and just like any other government program they need to be put to the cost-benefit test to make sure taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck.”
63% strongly agree
84% total agree
The statements that didn't go over well sound a lot like the "tough-on-crime" rhetoric of yesteryear:
“It does not matter how much it costs to lock up criminals, we should pay whatever it takes to make sure our communities are safe.”
40% strongly agree
63% total agree
“Parole and probation are just a slap on the wrist and not a substitute for prison.”
26% strongly agree
45% total agree
This is straight-up liberaltarian porn. Americans putting effectiveness over punitiveness? Seeing corrections through the lens of cost-benefit analysis? I'm not sure I've ever seen a public-opinion survey that bodes better for sensible, nationwide corrections reform. Want to know the best part? Forty-three percent of the people in this survey self-identified as politically conservative.
The only problem is that the American people are smarter on this issue than the people they've chosen to represent them. Of course, voters are already primed to be receptive to "tough on crime" messaging, so it's possible the poll understates how effective it would still ultimately be in practice. Democrat Jack Conway is wagering his Kentucky candidacy against Republican Rand Paul on the presumption that "tough on crime" still resonates.
