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There are many factors. The biggest is the failed drug war. Conservatives thought that by getting tough on crime and drugs that those problems could be elimin

There are many factors. The biggest is the failed drug war. Conservatives thought that by getting tough on crime and drugs that those problems could be eliminated. The result was the most full prisons on the planet. The prisons are so full that even the huge California GDP can barely pay for them. So something had to ease up. Now there is a breakdown in the justice system regarding what crimes are worth convicting and incarcerating people for and it is not unusual for even violent criminals to be quickly released. But the conservative tough on crime folks are completely unable to come to terms with the consequences of their actions on society. So we end up with a stalemate where liberals are trying to trim down the prison population and focus on violent crime while most conservatives still want to fix the problem by getting tough and imprisoning more people for longer.

nickpp 4y ago
Should we see a mass pardon now that drugs are becoming more and more legal in the US?
- ModernMech 4y ago
  That’s exactly what’s happening. Governors around the country and even the President have been issuing pardons for weed “crimes”.
xrd 4y ago
For some context: California imprisons about 550 people per 100k. Florida imprisons about 750 per 100k. Interestingly, Florida refuses [1] to even allow a vote on whether you can force prisoners to work (unlike 20 other states [2]): "Died in Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee" 1. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/39 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/39 2. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/08/22/yes-slavery-is-on-the-ballot-in-these-states https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/sta...
whiddershins 4y ago
This is so hilariously backwards. The conservative tough on crime policies may have been inhumane or even immoral, but they did reduce crime. The soft on crime policies have allowed increased crime. Here are US murder rates: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murder-homicide-rate https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murd...
- jemmyw 4y ago
  That chart doesn't support your conclusion. It's not detailed enough to conclude anything except that crime and policing policy is not driving that number at all.
opo 4y ago
The failed drug war has historically been a bi-partisan mess. Here is one example: https://www.salon.com/2013/08/12/where_mandatory_minimums_came_from/ https://www.salon.com/2013/08/12/where_mandatory_minimums_ca... You can find similar stories for every congressional term and presidential administration going back decades.

nickpp 4y ago

Should we see a mass pardon now that drugs are becoming more and more legal in the US?

ModernMech 4y ago
That’s exactly what’s happening. Governors around the country and even the President have been issuing pardons for weed “crimes”.

xrd 4y ago

For some context: California imprisons about 550 people per 100k. Florida imprisons about 750 per 100k. Interestingly, Florida refuses [1] to even allow a vote on whether you can force prisoners to work (unlike 20 other states [2]): "Died in Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee" 1. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/39 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/39 2. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2022/08/22/yes-slavery-is-on-the-ballot-in-these-states https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/sta...

whiddershins 4y ago

This is so hilariously backwards. The conservative tough on crime policies may have been inhumane or even immoral, but they did reduce crime. The soft on crime policies have allowed increased crime. Here are US murder rates: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murder-homicide-rate https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/murd...

jemmyw 4y ago
That chart doesn't support your conclusion. It's not detailed enough to conclude anything except that crime and policing policy is not driving that number at all.

opo 4y ago

The failed drug war has historically been a bi-partisan mess. Here is one example: https://www.salon.com/2013/08/12/where_mandatory_minimums_came_from/ https://www.salon.com/2013/08/12/where_mandatory_minimums_ca... You can find similar stories for every congressional term and presidential administration going back decades.