Cost-conscious criminal justice. After years of being tough on crime, America has incarcerated more people than any other country in the world, more than 2 million, at last count.
In the boom years of the '90s, money didn't matter when it came to sentencing criminals. But today, facing deep budget deficits, most states don't have the cash for all of those $25 thousand prison beds. So many states are taking emergency action.
Last month, Kentucky enraged prosecutors by releasing more than 500 non-violent inmates early. On Christmas Day, the outgoing Michigan governor signed legislation repealing mandatory minimum drug sentences. Are these changes, a sign of a country going soft on crime, or the beginnings of a rational sentencing policy?
