How many folks realize that we are in the middle of a crisis over how we respond to crime? At more than 2.3 million Americans incarcerated, the prison population has quadrupled in the past 20 years. The building of prisons and the maintaining them is our fastest growing industry. This certainly lends credence to the old adage “build them and they will come.”

We could save millions of dollars if we called a halt to our dumb on crime policies. Our mandatory minimum sentencing laws are putting non-violent people behind bars for their entire lives. These laws are so unfair and so very expensive. No civilized society should be imposing life sentences on people who have committed relatively minor crimes. That is wildly expensive. Instead, funds should be used for education, treatment and other solutions to the underlying cause of crime.

Lea Zengage

Lake Stevens