I Guess We Voted for Crime

In a Herculean effort of overthinking the problem, David Skeel goes into some statistical depth to analyze how the prison populations grew under different political parties in different states. Here's a sample.

● Connecticut: From 1975 to 1991, Connecticut was governed by Democrats, and the state’s imprisonment rate rose a staggering 346%, compared to a national average of 174%. From 1991-95, Independent (and former Republican) Lowell Weicker held the governor’s chair; Republicans have held it since then. Since 1991, Connecticut’s imprisonment rate has risen 49%, compared to an average increase of 62% nationwide.

● Missouri: During Republican John Ashcroft’s governorship (1985-93), the state’s imprisonment rate rose 59%; nationwide, imprisonment rose 75% during those eight years. From 1993 to 2005, Democrats held Missouri’s governorship. During those twelve years, imprisonment rose 72%, compared to a national average increase of 40%.

Huh? Maybe Dave needs to get out more. He certainly needs to spend more time with criminals, particularly during the planning phases of their capers. Having known a criminal or two in my time, I assure you they never took into account the political leanings of the governor, the mayor, the aldermen or the family dog. They wanted things that did not belong to them or they wanted drugs or they wanted revenge or they were simply being jerks. There wasn't a whole lot of deep, intellectual thought beyond that.

Dave goes on to draw a conclusion about crime from his statistics.

Criminal justice works badly when the voters whose preferences govern the system are not the voters who feel the effects of crime and punishment most directly. Over the last thirty-five years, our justice system has been governed primarily by the votes of suburban and small-town whites. But crime and punishment alike are heavily concentrated in poor city neighborhoods, and especially in black neighborhoods. Democracy works best when those making the relevant choices bear the cost of those choices.

This one is just mind blowing. Is criminal justice working badly when criminals are put in jail after due process? What kind of idiot thinks that? And of course, race plays into this. You knew it would. No discussion of the destruction of the traditional family here, it's all politics and race.

This poor lad would have been bringing daisies to his grandmother if he hadn't been thrown in jail.
Dave, let me make a suggestion. How about if you go hang out in Oakland for a while? You can either do ride alongs with the cops or you can loiter on the street corners with the thugs. Either one is fine with me. After you do that for a month, come back and tell us what you found out.