About the Author

Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Imprisonment Lowers Crime.

March 30th, 2008 • Richard Cochrane

The recent report by the PEW CENTER FOR THE STATES bemoaned the fact that one in 100 Americans are in jail or prison (1 in 9 blacks) but it failed to mention the benefit that crime is down by 25% because of it. FREAKONOMICS co-author Steven Levitts, and others, have shown that in states where felons are imprisoned crime falls.

 

Cost studies show that on average criminals commit 12 to 16 crimes a year (exclusive of drug offenses) and those costs far exceed the costs to keep crooks in the hoosegow sparing law abiding citizens the suffering of their acts.

 

James Q. Wilson, Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine, and previously of UCLA and Harvard University, knitted together a well argued and researched article in the SUNDAY MARCH 30 LA TIMES describes contradictions and faults the notion that leniency is somehow a solution. Among other things he cites skyrocketing crime rates in Britain for burglary, robbery and assault following its liberalization of prison sentences, and elsewhere when the value of deterrence has been rejected.

 

Levitts concludes that “But we should not suppose … we imprison too many people.”

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