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Norquist on 'Conservative Principles and Prison'

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, writing in yesterday's National Review Online, argues that "the 'lock ?em up and throw away the key' mentality forces conservatives to ignore [their] fundamental principles," encouraging reduced incarceration rates and citing Texas' recent example:Consider Texas, a state legendary for being ?tough on crime.? When the Lone Star State?s incarceration rates were cut by 8 percent, the crime rate actually dropped by 6 percent. Texas did not simply release the prisoners, however. Instead, it placed them under community supervision, in drug courts, and in short-term intermediate sanctions and treatment facilities. Moreover, it linked the funding of the supervision programs to their ability to reduce the number of probationers who returned to prison...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 11, 2011 (boomark / email).