Three strikes and you’re out! Lock ‘em up and throw away the key!
Tough on crime? Not so much. Nicholas Kristof looks at how the politics of crime-fighting are often far removed from the discussion of what actually works (similar to the use of arthroscopic knee surgery).
For example, an new automobile anti-theft device has reduced car thefts in Boston by half. But insurance companies offer no rate discount. Same for burglar alarms for homes. The most effective are silent alarms that would result in the capture of burglars. But again, there’s no financial incentive (not to mention the scary fact of having a burglar hanging around for a while longer. And one more example: hiring cops is more effective at crime reduction than building prisons. But we spend money on prisons instead of cops or education.
It’s time for politics to get to where we can have a serious discussion about what works. It’s one thing to act tough for the masses; but once you get elected, do your job. In other words, give people incentives to act in a way that benefits the public by installing crime preventing alarms. And hire more cops to prevent crime instead of locking up offenders. Let's start spending our money on prevention instead of just talking tough.
I'm sure crime victims would agree.
(Look for an upcoming post on how this scientific/results look at abortion could drastically lower abortion rates without having to overturn Roe v. Wade. Which would be bad anyway).
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