Do mindless prison sentences really contribute to public safety?
It depends on what you mean by "mindless." If you mean locking people up for years for crimes such as first time shop lifting, the answer is no. What’s never told about our corrections system is that about 70% are serving time in "alternative" community programs rather than locked up. In some states it’s higher that 80%.
But don’t prisons hold a large number of non-violent offenders? So.. should car thieves, burglars, drug dealers, swindlers and others never be incarcerated? What exactly is a non-violent offender? Is it someone who has never committed a violent crime? Is it someone convicted of a non-violent crime but with a history of violence? Is it someone who committed a violent crime but was convicted of a non-violent crime because of plea bargaining? The point is that sentencing statistics provide only a snapshot of the person’s current offense.
One thing that’s certain is that people who are locked up can’t hurt people in the community. The trick is to lock up people when it’s appropriate to do so.
