Senator Jim Webb's Crusade

Fascinating story in the Sept 19 issue of "Newsweek", written by Andrew Romano.

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Some quotes:

"In 1980, fewer than 500,000 Americans were in prison; today, the number is 2.3 million...In England, (the median incarceration rate for prisoners for every 100,000 people) is 153. In America, it's 743."

"...Webb likes to put it, "Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the U.S., or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice."

"In 1986, President Reagan signed a $1.7 billion bill that created mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses."

"Today, African-Americans represent 74 percent of those sent to prison for drug possession, even though they make up only 14 percent of users."

"...Republicans began to realize that prison spending, which is the fastest-growing state budget item behind Medicaid, was ripe for a trim."

""The fact that America's violent-crime rate has continued to decline during the recession - it's now at its lowest level in 40 years - only helps Webb's cause..."

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Now, that last quote may lead you to say, "Sure, the violent crime rate went down because all the bad guys are locked up." Bullshit. I've been in a prison to visit. It's just small fish doing time for crap. The really violent ones don't get pinched for carrying some weed or crack. Violent crime is down because the police system in this country is working. The courts aren't, though. Sending poor and black and Hispanic Americans away for drug offenses, pushing them and their families into a downward spiral it's almost impossible to get out of is really hurting this nation.

Ending mandatory minimums and Three Strike laws would be a good start, I think.