Is the Prison System a Failure

This paragraph in a news report about prisons caught my eye:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans in prison has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to taxpayers and society, researchers said in a report calling for a major justice-system overhaul.

When they say that putting all those people in jail has had "little impact" on crime, what they're saying is that the overall crime rate has not gone down that much (it's still about the same today as it was in 1973). But what they don't know and certainly can't quantify is what the crime rate would be today if all those people were still on the streets. To suggest that the incarcarations should be stopped because of an incomplete picture of the crime situation is pretty simple minded and clearly agenda-driven.

Of course, the group promoting this survey wants to decriminalize some recreational drug use and sees racism in the incarceration rates of many minorities. Hey, if they don't do the crime they don't do the time. It's that simple.

Whether there is indisputable proof of the effectiveness of prisons or not, the American public has stated more than once through ballot proposition and elections of tough-on-crime candidates that it wants lawbreakers in jail for as long as possible. That's not likely to change anytime soon.