Politics and Corrections
Crime rates have been steadily falling for the last twenty years, but increased and often sensationalist media coverage means that the average American reads more stories about crime on a daily basis. Because of this, people’s “gut” and the statistics simply do not square up. As any attorney knows, where there is a conflict between the “head” and the “heart,” people vote from the heart.
People want to believe that tougher penalties mean lower crime. All the evidence shows that this is not the case. Study after study have demonstrated that mandatory penalties do not reduce crime. Even though the majority of the United States is opposed to “big government” and want tax cuts, corrections appears to be the exception. Economic arguments fall on deaf ears, and people think that simply getting “tougher” will solve the problem.
Dick DeVos’s analysts have correctly targeted this issue as a vulnerability in Governor Granholm’s platform. Because Mr. DeVos has never held government office, he has never made a mistake in his decision of who should be released and who should spend more time in prison. The lack of experience, however, does not demonstrate superior insight, knowledge, or ability to correct the problem. Choosing Mr. DeVos on this basis makes no more sense than choosing me (a lawyer) to perform open heart surgery because none of my prior patients have ever died on the operating table.
I have never been a fan of the Department of Corrections or the Parole Board, but they make difficult decisions on a daily basis. It is impossible to determine which offenders will reoffend and which ones will go straight. You can only make your best guess based on the offender’s history, prison conduct, and the strength of the release plan.
When an offender commits a high publicity homicide, there is a tendency to want to make heads roll, but this is a “knee jerk” reaction. Patricia Caruso is a career corrections professional who has made tough calls and has attempted to be both smart and sensible with corrections. She has implemented tighter controls, but has also moved money into community corrections. Anyone who reads the literature knows that this has one of the highest success rates and is the future of modern corrections.
I have litigated cases against “Prosecutor Granholm” back when she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She was smart, a tough adversary, and had a handle on the issues. Her choice in leaders for the Department of Corrections was careful and well chosen. With all due respect, Mr. DeVos, I think you are wrong on this issue.