Why Can't We End Mass Incarceration?

[damnedifIknow]

On October 6th, news reports heralded a historic development: The world's largest incarcerator, the United States of America, was about to make the largest one-time release of prisoners in its history. The U.S. Justice Department announced that it would be releasing some 6,000 inmates from federal prisons before the end of their original sentences. It's the first wave of an even larger number of early releases — more than 13,000 in total. The news was trumpeted as further evidence that after decades of mandatory-minimum sentences, the pendulum of public policy has finally begun to swing back the other way.

But though the news was much hyped in the press, a close look shows just how difficult substantial change in sentencing policy continues to be. For one thing, the announced releases represent a fraction of the more than 205,000 people in federal prison. And federal prisons are just the tip of the iceberg — factor in state prisons and local jails, and there are 2.2 million people locked up in this country

*In recent years, though, popular enthusiasm for the drug war has waned, the astronomical price tag of imprisoning hundreds of thousands of people has shocked even the toughest-on-crime politicians, and a reconsideration of mandatory-minimum sentences and mechanisms of mass incarceration is no longer quite the political third rail that it once was.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-cant-we-end-mass-incarceration-20151026?page=2

[demosincebirth]

1. Guns and drugs. Stop the war on drugs and control the sale of all guns will be a big start.

[Snobblevitch]

7. What does "control the sale of all guns" mean exactly?

[demosincebirth]

10. Lets try this first; ban the sale all weapons except hand guns for home protection and

authentic game hunting rifles. It'll never happen, but eventually it'll put a big dent in the prison population

[Snobblevitch]

11. How would you define those weapons?

Edit to add:

Rifles of all types are almost never used in crime. Handguns are used extensively. How would you determine the difference between a handgun purchased for home defense vs. a handgun acquired for criminal use?

[onecaliberal]

2. Because it's very lucrative to the private prison complex.

They're not going to just let it go easily.

[NorthCarolina]

3. Because they already gave millions to the establishment candidates

Jeb and Hillary...there's payback due and it doesn't include the demise of the private prison industry.

Let one fact be perfectly clear to all, there is only ONE, count 'em 1, candidate that is not beholden to private corporate interests, and that candidate is Bernie Sanders.

[restorefreedom]

4. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ nt

[Initech]

5. Three words: Corrections Corporation Of America

[NobodyHere]

6. Americans love to see long prison sentences.

Go to any thread that involves a crime and people will often demand a lengthy prison sentence.

[Recursion]

8. Because nobody knows what to do with 2 million people the state has brutalized for years

I think that's the big stumbling block.

[Snobblevitch]

9. The U.S. has had a 'war on drugs' and a

'get tough on crime' policy for many years. Often times there are mandatory sentences in which the judges' hands are tied. Many of our inner cities are economically depressed and crime is rampant.

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. We are a punisher culture.

We can't find the money to ensure everyone at least has a decent life, but we're willing to pay plenty for prisons. And wars.