Tough-on-Crime Policies Overwhelm Shrinking State Budgets

Politicians always want to be “tough on crime,” but with states facing budget crises, can they afford to be? As states are forced to shut down prisons, shorten sentences, and lock up fewer criminals, are they making the corrections system more efficient or are they making us less safe? How are “law and order” politicians adapting to the new budget realities of skyrocketing prison costs? Can a cheaper prison system be a better one?