Rethinking Crime and Prisons

FOR THE FIRST TIME in a long time, America's prison population is actually decreasing. It had been on the rise for decades, and the United States became the world's leading incarcerater, per capita. The U.S. still puts more people in prison per capita than places like China, North Korea, and Iran, and that's impressive. But who knows? Before Obama is done, he may let enough non violent offenders out to substantially further decrease the prison population, and lower America's place on the lock up list. Obama appears to be a big pardoner; on his last day in office - watch out! True, Obama is currently building a huge new two hundred million dollar super max in Illinois, but hell, in Illinois they probably need the extra space to house all their felonious former governors and Chicago style gangstahs. Generally, however, Obama has us heading in the right direction, incarcerationally; turning fewer people into criminals, whether by bad legislation or enforcement thereof, locking fewer people up. Bad legislation is turning drug users and dealers into criminals, rather than letting them be the self medicators and business people that they in truth are. The sooner we realize that drug dealers and users are only criminals because we chose to say they are, the better. Martha Stewart and Bernie Madoff in prison? Gimme a break. Shouldn't financial crimes result in financial penalties? The assets of such wealthy people would make good restitution. Let 'em clean the floors at fast food restaurants, or something equally productive and necessary. Someday our descendants will marvel at how barbaric we were, that we imprisoned each other so often.