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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'

    After 30 years of being "tough on crime," the US -- with 5% of the world's population -- has 25% of its prisoners, and that's very expensive. Now the crime rate is way down. Conservatives are joining liberals, demanding reduced sentences and alternatives to incarceration. Texas is one of the states where prisons are being shut down.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    After 30 years of being "tough on crime," the US -- with 5% of the world's population -- has 25% of its prisoners, and that's very expensive. Now the crime rate is way down. Conservatives are joining liberals, demanding reduced sentences and alternatives to incarceration. Texas is one of the states where prisons are being shut down. But hard-liners warn that so-called "smart sentencing" will push the crime rate back up again. Eric Holder told the American Bar Association today that America's 30-year crackdown has produced unintended consequences, and called for reform. The Attorney General has support from some unexpected sources, including Grover Norquist, one of the most influential conservatives in Washington. We update the controversy.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'
    1. 0:00New York City Must Change Its 'Stop and Frisk' Policing
    2. 8:19What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'You’re reading this
    3. 44:39Dan Balz Discusses 'Collision' of 2012 Election
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Kerry Cavanaugh

      editorial writer at the Los Angeles Times

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan George

      Director of Content, News

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Marc Levin

      Right on Crime

    • KCRW placeholder

      Scott Burns

      National District Attorneys Association

    • KCRW placeholder

      Adam Gelb

      Pew Center

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'
    1. 0:00New York City Must Change Its 'Stop and Frisk' Policing
    2. 8:19What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'You’re reading this
    3. 44:39Dan Balz Discusses 'Collision' of 2012 Election
    Back to To the Point