Criminal Justice Goes Bust

What happens when state budget cuts pinch criminal justice resources? The Economist says creative solutions emerge, solutions which are in turn more just than their predecessors. “A squeezed budget is one reason why Los Angeles County’s DA, Steve Cooley, is hostile to three strikes laws. Lack of money also explains why Republicans in South Carolina are considering a halt to imprisoning non-violent drug offenders. Sending someone to prison at a cost to the taxpayer of some $50,000 a year for trying to steal $29 worth of plumbing supplies is not only a daft idea; it is strictly a bull-market approach to criminal justice.”