General Discussion

Sancho

(9,215 posts)

35. That's the history that we all know....

Sat May 30, 2015, 03:49 PM

May 2015

the war on drugs, mandatory three strike laws, etc. are one reason for the number in prison, but there are other theories! Simply assuming there was a conspiracy to lock people up may be wrong!

One theory is that lead in paint and gas caused the crime increase:

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/01/prison-population-dropping-can-you-guess-why

Keith Humphreys has a nomination for the most underreported public policy story of the past year: The continuing decline in the number of Americans who are behind bars or on probation/parole. Alex Tabarrok illustrates the trend with the chart on the right.

What's going on? At the risk of sounding like a broken record today, part of the answer is probably lead. Lead emissions rose throughout the 50s and 60s, leading to a rise in crime through the 70s and 80s. Incarceration rates went up dramatically during the high-crime years, and many of the people put behind bars served long sentences. So even though crime rates started to fall in the early 90s, incarceration rates kept going up for a while as new criminals were added to a system that already had a lot of long-term residents.

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�We need more police, we need more and tougher prison sentences ..." [View all] Scuba May 2015 OP

One of the problems with being a corporatist trying to run a government; Half-Century Man May 2015 #1

In for-profit prisons, prison labor is a revenue stream, prisoner education is not. HereSince1628 May 2015 #22

Same as in many state-run prisons. Jackpine Radical May 2015 #26

One of the problems with being in the public eye for decades is.... George II May 2015 #95

Um, 21 Years? Give or Take? Thor_MN May 2015 #2

Has her stance changed? nt Logical May 2015 #10

bill's has. mopinko May 2015 #13

Don't know. If you want to make a claim, find a more recent quote. Thor_MN May 2015 #32

Yes technology advancements and political opinions are the same thing. Nice try. nt Logical May 2015 #36

The original post is disingenuous. Digging up a two decade old quote against a recent interview. Thor_MN May 2015 #40

Perhaps you can provide some evidence that HRC's opinion.. 99Forever May 2015 #14

Perhaps we could avoid comparing something from over 2 decades ago to something said last week? Thor_MN May 2015 #28

Maybe YOU should look up a more recent quote that makes YOUR point. 99Forever May 2015 #38

I have made no such point. Thor_MN May 2015 #41

No. 99Forever May 2015 #43

So you concede your point? Thor_MN May 2015 #45

I concede that you failed to make your sale. 99Forever May 2015 #46

No, you refuse to back your claim. Thor_MN May 2015 #48

She recently stated we should end mass incarceration Recursion May 2015 #62

Thank you. 99Forever May 2015 #66

Sorry, that was needlessly snarky. It was all over DU last week Recursion May 2015 #67

Accepted, gladly. 99Forever May 2015 #71

Glad I could help. Also, Sanders voted for the bill she was advocating for in the quote Recursion May 2015 #77

it's been done already in this discussion George II May 2015 #87

It was as wrong then as it is now. morningfog May 2015 #30

I agree, it is embarrasingly inane to contend that a 21 year old quote is comparible with a recent Thor_MN May 2015 #33

Particularly when Sanders voted in the House for the bill she was pushing in the quote (nt) Recursion May 2015 #81

Better yet: she was advocating a bill Sanders voted for (the Assault Weapons Ban) Recursion May 2015 #75

Hell, we need sentences for first time bank$ter/donor offenders. Perhaps the FBI ought to busy jtuck004 May 2015 #3

Prison Pipeline CTBlueboy May 2015 #4

Welcome to DU cyberswede May 2015 #20

Hillary has been more of a politician than her supporters like to admit. She has a lot of.... marble falls May 2015 #5

Well then, at least on this issue you can say the same thing about Sanders. George II May 2015 #91

she's "evolved" on this, just like healthcare and gay marriage Doctor_J May 2015 #6

Sanders voted for the bill she was advocating for in this quote, the Assault Weapons Ban Recursion May 2015 #80

I guess Sanders has, too, on this issue - he AGREED with Clinton 21 years ago! George II May 2015 #92

�We need more police...." ha ha, 1994. current thinking, two decades later? seabeyond May 2015 #7

Crime was huge in the 90s. Homicide rates coming off the crack epidemic. JaneyVee May 2015 #8

Yep another successful CIA program hootinholler May 2015 #12

Reyes, but there were many who believed that cali May 2015 #69

I'll just focus on the second quote.... daleanime May 2015 #9

Anyone have any idea of Sanders' position on this issue back in 1994? George II May 2015 #16

He agreed with Clinton enough to vote for the bill she was pushing for Recursion May 2015 #82

Aha! So some obscure quote of Clinton from 20 years ago.... George II May 2015 #90

All these hit pieces on Hillary Clinton are not going to bring your candidate closer to victory. DemocratSinceBirth May 2015 #11

Hillary's own words are now "hit pieces"? Fumesucker May 2015 #42

I don't even read them any more... DemocratSinceBirth May 2015 #44

My goal is to discuss things I happen to be interested in Fumesucker May 2015 #47

OMG ...How dare people post quotes from Hillary! L0oniX May 2015 #54

All these hit pieces on Hillary Clinton are not going to bring your candidate closer to victory. DemocratSinceBirth May 2015 #64

they might bring your candidate closer to defeat cali May 2015 #72

I don't believe I have every said she was my idol since I was ten. DemocratSinceBirth May 2015 #76

Speaking of hit pieces ...here's one of the worst to hit DU from your side of the beltway. L0oniX May 2015 #88

I would say the same thing about the post you cited DemocratSinceBirth May 2015 #89

Your point? Have you ever changed you opinion about anything? For that matter.... George II May 2015 #15

Has Hillary changed her position on this? Please provide a link. I'll be glad to revise/delete. Scuba May 2015 #17

She addressed criminal justice reform in her keynote address.... George II May 2015 #25

In a president, I value the ability to be a forward thinker morningfog May 2015 #31

Hillary has changed some ideas, but does Sanders advocate letting "violent criminals" loose??? Sancho May 2015 #18

No one advocated letting violent criminals out of prison. But by saying we needed "more prisons" .. Scuba May 2015 #24

Then you have been in a cave... Sancho May 2015 #27

Overcrowded due to way too many locked away for bullshit. TheKentuckian May 2015 #34

That's the history that we all know.... Sancho May 2015 #35

"evolving" on yet another issue cali May 2015 #74

Sanders voted for the bill she was advocating for Recursion May 2015 #86

"Hillary clearly wasn't advocating for releasing non-violent, victimless prisoners, now was she? " NYC Liberal May 2015 #57

Miss Cleo is ripping you off. Try a better source. Maybe buy your own set of Tarot cards. L0oniX May 2015 #56

I doubt Sanders was referring to 'violent offenders' bigtree May 2015 #19

Why do you think Hillary said we needed "more prisons" when she could have advocated .. Scuba May 2015 #23

Gotta love that hide thread feature MohRokTah May 2015 #21

Can't wait for her pro Iraq war vote to also be 21 years ago so it won't mean anything. L0oniX May 2015 #55

Women don't have to base their opinions on those of their husbands. I assume that was sabrina 1 May 2015 #60

we have become what we feared during the cold war olddots May 2015 #29

The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants. Albert Camus Tierra_y_Libertad May 2015 #37

I have no problem with violent criminals being locked in prison. NaturalHigh May 2015 #39

I agree. Warren DeMontague May 2015 #50

You said it better than I did. NaturalHigh May 2015 #51

Agreed. bravenak May 2015 #63

She's gonna need to address things like the drug war and marijuana legalization. Warren DeMontague May 2015 #49

Just playing Devil's Advocate here ... NanceGreggs May 2015 #52

I knew this OP was about Hillary before I came in here. No Miss Cleo needed. L0oniX May 2015 #53

I have to agree that using a quote from 1994 is not fair nor a valid comparison. cui bono May 2015 #58

And, in the intervening decades, we got both of them, and the crime rate plummeted Recursion May 2015 #59

The problem is the crime rate plummeted in the same time frame in other nations Fumesucker May 2015 #68

That's a very good point Recursion May 2015 #70

More incarceration inevitably leads to more crime and more sophisticated criminals Fumesucker May 2015 #78

Which is why I, like you, and Sanders, and Clinton, want to end mass incarceration Recursion May 2015 #79

I looked up my own words on DU and found I was talking about this in 2008 Fumesucker May 2015 #83

What's her current position? She changed on marriage equality, after all eridani May 2015 #61

you have to admit, she changes her opinions on issues to fit the cali May 2015 #65

Sanders voted for the bill that Clinton was advocating in this quote Recursion May 2015 #84

Bernie Sanders doesn't? For that matter, EVERYONE changes positions from time to time. George II May 2015 #94

BTW the bill she was advocating in that speech is more widely known as the "Assault Weapons Ban" Recursion May 2015 #73

I never saw prison to be much helpful of anything JonLP24 May 2015 #85

You are very correct. MindPilot May 2015 #93