Publication
Is Prison The Answer To Violence?
The Marshall Project
One of the myths of criminal justice reform is that you can cut the prison population in half by freeing non-violent offenders: the guy who sold a little weed to his classmates, the shoplifter, people who have done stupid things but aren't necessarily scary. As you know, more than half of those who are incarcerated are there for violent crimes, and many of those who are sentenced for nonviolent crimes plead down from more serious charges. These are people who frighten us — and they really frighten politicians. You want us to think differently about them. Explain.
Rethinking Safety, Crime, And Victimization
Ford Foundation
A generation ago, amid great fanfare, President Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The Act provided federal dollars to states that built more prisons, tightened drug law enforcement, and increased the severity and length of prison sentences.