Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on proposed legislation to “reform” criminal sentencing by, inter alia, releasing large numbers of felons from federal prisons. The great Heather Mac Donald testified in opposition to the proposed changes. The video below, of her opening statement, is only around six minutes long, but it is an excellent introduction to the topic. Some notable quotes:
Drug enforcement was not the driving factor in the growth of the prison system. Violent crime was and is. Since 1999, violent offenders have accounted for all of the increase in the prison census, and they were the predominant factor before then.
The most dangerous misconception about our criminal justice system is that it is pervaded by racial bias. For decades, criminologists have tried to find evidence for that bias, and they have always come up short. In fact, racial differences in criminal offending account for all of the racial disproportionality of blacks in prison.
John Hinderaker posted the video of Heather's testimony here.
No comments:
Post a Comment