Blog May 6, 2013
Meanness and Violence
A colleague and I were talking the other day about how much violence there is in American society. We both admitted that the extent of violence in America exceeded by far every other industrialized democratic society. Why is this, we asked? The pursuit of the almighty dollar was one factor, along with the stress associated with this.
Gov. Brown must reduce the state’s prison population by 10,000 people or be held in contempt of Court. Systematically releasing low-risk inmates is a safe and just way to meet this mandate.
California’s counties are one step closer to having more resources to treat and rehabilitate youth who have committed serious or violent offenses.
Blog Apr 23, 2013
Boston Bombings
It has now been more than a week since the dramatic event that came at the end of the annual Boston Marathon. What concerns me the most is the media coverage and what many would call an overreaction by law enforcement.
A January 2013 CDCR study finds that “lifers recidivate at markedly lower rates than those who serve determinate sentences.” While this is not necessarily surprising to criminal justice stakeholders, it does raise a data-driven reason for pursuing sentencing reform.