As Budget Cuts Free Prisoners, States Face a Backlash

11. Sandy Lewis Lewis Family Farm, Essex, New York linking to "U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations" I'm really sick of this "The US prison population is too high" argument. I see this as only a reason to rejoice: the USA is doing a better job catching its criminals. Go to a country where the prison population is low, and I don't think you will find a general population rejoicing in happiness at their more lax penal system. I think you will find instead a general population of people resentful that theres so many crooks and thieves around them that should rightfully be rounded up and sent to prison. American high prison populations is one of the best things about this country compared to others. Go ahead and ask any resident of any country with low prison populations if you think low prison populations are some sort of benefit. What, do you think there are less crooks in other countries? No, criminality is constant across all cultures and time periods. All our high prison population means is we are doing a better job at catching them.

As I understand things much of the high prison population in the state of New York is a result of the Rocafeller drug laws.

Making drugs cheap, legal and deeply unfashionable would do much to end crime and thus prison population. It would doubtless kill a great many addicts and go far toward bringing Mexico to civilization. Free trade would help here.

Another thing ending drug price support would do is kill the small towns of upstate New York. Many of them exist to service the prison system.