A unique conservative stance on crime and criminal justice

So, not ALL conservatives have the same view on crime and criminal justice. These don't want to get "tough on crime" but instead want to get "right on crime." Refreshing.

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Conservatives addressing criminal justice system

 

Russ Jones - OneNewsNow - 9/12/2011 4:05:00 AM

A prison reform group has received a significant endorsement from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, making him the latest conservative to sign the Right on Crime "Statement of Principles."

RightOnCrime.com, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, is committed to conservative ideas on criminal justice. Less than a year ago, the organization released its new "Statement of Principles" and subsequently received endorsements from leaders like Newt Gingrich and Bill Bennett. The statement calls for a crackdown on crime and on criminal justice spending.

Vikrant Reddy, policy analyst for the campaign, says the endorsement of the younger Bush is important to the efforts of the organization.

"We were just delighted. He is obviously a gigantic figure in modern Republican politics, and we were really enthusiastic to hear that he is a supporter of all of our principles and that he wanted to be involved," Reddy shares.

His group advocates spending less on criminal reform and obtaining better results.

"What we would like is for conservatives to take that very critical attitude that we have towards all government programs and all types of government spending and start applying that same kind of critical eye towards critical justice, prisons, and sentencing," the policy analyst explains.

He goes on to encourage people to start asking, "How much is this costing us, and what is the government really giving us in return?" And he points out that if individuals who are sent to prison come out worse than they started, "we're paying for that, and we're not particularly happy to be paying for those kinds of terrible results."

The Right on Crime campaign believes an ideal criminal justice system works to reform amenable offenders who will return to society through harnessing the power of families, charities, faith-based groups, and communities.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=1428874

Conservatives turning against massive imprisonment and the drug war

As I've always said in class, the liberals are easy to convince.

They already believe that the war on crime does not work and the war on drugs is morally wrong.

To stop all the madness, it's the conservatives that have to be won over.

And they have to be won over with arguments that speak to what they value.

Things like money.

Now, several notable conservatives are speaking out against these wars being waged right on US soil.

From the article:

"Struggling with chronic budget crises, lawmakers in more and more states are embracing sentencing and other reforms in a bid to hold down corrections costs. But while sentencing reform has long been the domain of 'bleeding heart' liberals, now conservatives are driving those efforts in some states.

"It's not just about dollars. Although fiscal concerns are a driving force among conservatives, there are also signs they are recognizing and confronting the failures of our drug and criminal justice policies. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, none other than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote of 'more humane, effective alternatives' to the national imprisonment binge."

This is an amazing sign of potential change in US domestic policy. It's amazing how much of a motivation state budget crises are!

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/feb/02/conservatives_board_sentencing_r