There is so much wrong with this editorial. Deputy AG Rosen resorts to the well-known, yet proven to have failed, tough on crime talking points. Here a rant on just some of the reasons we need to stop listening to what got us into our mass incarceration crisis in the first place:
The details of our mass incarceration crisis are well-known at this point. $2.2 million people behind bars, with penalties unlike almost any other country ... prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie201…
Rosen calls out "social justice reform" prosecutors, but all were elected, often by wide margins, to do exactly what they are doing: prosecute fewer people, send fewer people to jail and prison, & devote more time and resources to the most serious crimes and offenses ...
It should not be surprising that so often when voters are given the chance to vote for a reform-minded candidate, they choose reform. The positions Rosen is so upset about have proven overwhelmingly popular with voters.... themarshallproject.org/2018/11/13/vot…
It is reform that will allow resources to be spent on schools, health care, communities, instead of on jails and prisons. People are tired of failed tough on crime policies that cause U.S. to spend at least $80 billion a year to incarcerate people. . . . eji.org/news/mass-inca…
Also continuing to lock up more and more people is not needed to reduce crime. 34 states in recent years have managed to lower BOTH their prison populations and their crime rates. . . . brennancenter.org/our-work/analy…
And what tough-on-crime prosecutors refuse to admit or acknowledge is that prosecuting and locking up more and more people is not needed and does not protect pubic safety. . . . theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Review of actual data and evidence has shown that while criminal activity is deterred by an arrest, whether prosecution or punishment follows has little to no additional impact. ... journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.108…
Even decreasing penalties has not led to higher crime rates. In fact, once a person has been arrested, imposing more severe sanctions actually increases the likelihood a person will reoffend. ... app.dimensions.ai/details/public…
The hypocrisy of a prosecutor like Rosen being upset over a prosecutor exercising discretion is infuriating to anyone who has ever listened to a prosecutor of the past boast of prosecutorial discretion being an unquestioned power, one even courts should not disagree with. ...
Don't believe me? Well, read the national prosecution standards written by the National Association of District Attorneys: "The decision to initiate a criminal prosecution should be made by the prosecutor’s office."...
There is more: "The chief prosecutor should recognize and emphasize the importance of the initial
charging decision." You can read for yourself: ndaa.org/wp-content/upl…
charging decision." You can read for yourself: ndaa.org/wp-content/upl…
These tough on crime prosecutors like Rosen are the reason the U.S. laps the world in incarceration- 2.2 million people behind bars. 32 individual states have higher incarceration rates than any other country in the world. prisonpolicy.org/global/2018.ht… . . . ...
Not surprisingly, Rosen wants to frame his piece as if only prosecutors who think like him care about victims. Which is false. Prosecutors like Rosen only care about victims that want what the prosecutor in that moment wants. ...
But if a victim ever expresses a desire to seek a lesser punishment, or no prosecution, prosecutors like Rosen will be sure not to listen. ... theatlantic.com/national/archi…
and his claim that social justice reform prosecutors don't care about victims rings false for so many reasons. For one, nearly all the crimes that are not being prosecuted that Rosen is upset about, are the victimless crimes that most people do not want to see prosecuted ...
and by declining or seeking alternatives to prosecution for certain offenses, the social justice reform prosecutors are able to devote more time, more resources to the most serious crimes that truly impact victims and the community. ....
It is long past time we stop listening to anyone such as Deputy AG Rosen spouting the failed tough on crime mindset. Decades have proven it does not work. Nearly every time voters have been able to choose a social justice reformer as a prosecutor, they have. Listen to the people.
