Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander
“Do longer prison sentences reduce crime? It seems obvious that they should. Even if they don’t deter anyone, they at least keep criminals locked up where they can’t hurt law-abiding citizens. If, as the studies suggest, 1% of people commit 63% of the crime, locking up that 1% should dramatically decrease crime rates regardless of whether it scares anyone else. And blue state soft-on-crime policies have been followed by increasing theft and disorder. On the other hand, people in the field keep saying there’s no relationship. … This essay is an attempt to figure out what’s going on, who’s right, whether prison works, and whether other things work better/worse than prison.” (11/27/24)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/prison-and-crime-much-more-than-you