THE NAACP and Americans for Tax Reform (ATF) agree on very little. But Benjamin Jealous, president of the liberal civil rights group, recently found himself linking arms with ATF’s conservative president, Grover Norquist. The cause: prison reform.
The two view the subject through different lenses: The NAACP is primarily concerned with social injustices associated with the high rate of incarceration and the disproportionate impact on minority communities; Mr. Norquist focuses on the mounting costs to taxpayers of operating ineffectual prison systems. But both agree that millions of dollars are wasted each year on flawed policies that may not provide the best or most cost-effective means to protect society. The acknowledgment of the problem by Mr. Norquist and other notable conservatives, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich and David A. Keene of the American Conservative Union, should help propel reforms that have been shunned by lawmakers fearful of being labeled soft on crime.
The United States is the world’s leading jailer, incarcerating some 2.3 million people at an annual price tag of $70 billion. Roughly 500,000 inmates — almost 25 percent of those behind bars — have been put away for drug offenses. A significant number are hit with lengthy and costly mandatory minimum sentences. Thousands of offenders out on parole are reincarcerated for technical offenses, such as failing a drug test, that could more effectively — and more inexpensively — be addressed in a non-prison environment.
An NAACP report released last week is the most recent to argue convincingly that public safety can be preserved and tax dollars saved with smarter policies. The group favors, among other things, the elimination of mandatory minimums for drug crimes; diversion programs rather than incarceration for some addicts; making parole more available for those who complete educational or rehabilitation programs; and using scientific screening methods to determine good candidates for parole to better ensure that those released will be able to successfully reintegrate into society.
Individuals must be held accountable for breaking the law, and in many cases, especially those involving violent offenses, imprisonment is the best way to protect public safety. Record incarceration rates have helped get crime to historically low rates. But the levels of incarceration are financially unsustainable and in many instances counterproductive. While money should not drive policy in this area, the country would be foolish to forgo opportunities for sensible reforms that also ease the pressure on public coffers.
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