Category Archive: Public Safety and Elections
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Safer Communities at Less Cost Part II
Criminal justice reform: The solutions In part I of this series, we examined the state of criminal justice systems across the nation, and the need for reform in many of the states. Decades of a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality have left criminal justice systems overburdened. … »
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Safer Communities at Less Cost Part I
Criminal justice reform: Defining the problem Other than Medicaid, which area of state spending has grown the fastest over the past two decades? Transportation? Education? Legal Fees? None of the above. Corrections spending has quadrupled over the past twenty years. With the highest incarceration rate in the world (nearly 2.3 … »
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ALEC Response to Krugman’s Erroneous Claims – 3/27/12
ALEC Blog Team | March 27, 2012 | Add a commentContrary to a few politically-motivated and poorly researched editorials and blog posts, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) today is no longer involved with the private prison industry. Corrections Corporation of America is not, nor is any other private prison company, a member or supporter of ALEC. But even more … »
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The Right Solutions to Prison Problems: How Texas’ good policy is spreading across the nation
ALEC Blog Team | March 27, 2012 | Add a commentBy Representative Jerry Madden, TX For more than two decades, the motto shaping our criminal justice programs had been “tough on crime.” It is the mindset that led legislatures across the country to pass harsher sentencing laws, and led the United States to the highest incarceration rate in the world. … »
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Criminal Justice Reform
Courtney O'Brien | March 12, 2012 | Add a commentMembers of the Public Safety and Elections Task Force are dedicated to developing and supporting policies that improve public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control corrections spending for states. Many states are taking a hard look at their criminal justice systems and have determined that the policies in place are … »
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A Threat to Personal Liberty – And How States Can Respond
There are 1,700 statutory offenses in Texas state law, including 11 felonies relating to harvesting oysters. It’s now almost status quo for criminal law to be used to regulate ordinary business activities, an example of our ever-growing government. The most prominent recent example of this was the raid of Gibson … »
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Juvenile Justice: An Often Overlooked Opportunity for Saving Taxpayer Dollars and Protecting Communities
Jeanette Moll | February 3, 2012 | Add a commentCorrections policy has long been a topic of hot debate in state legislatures. Less attention is devoted to juvenile justice. Usually a smaller portion of state budgets, and with issues and principles at play that are not widely appreciated, legislators are often hesitant to delve into the sensitive topic. But … »
