As an economist and researcher, I urge both sides to put aside ideology and focus on the evidence to build a new, bipartisan public-safety agenda.
Long sentences might be useful if they deterred crime – that is, if the threat of a harsh punishment provided a meaningful incentive to obey the law.
Most people quickly age out of crime. There is lots of data documenting that the likelihood of committing crime increases until ages 18 to 20, then decreases.
Research consistently shows that increasing the probability of getting caught is far more effective. The chance they'd be arrested weighs far more than the details of any future imprisonment.
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