Guest AuthorLawmakers, law enforcement officers and savvy citizens – I call on you to carefully examine what the phrase “tough on crime” means. In my mind, it suggests a well-deserved intolerance for the very serious impact crime has on our communities and the victims who reside in them. This is a definition I can stand by.
But, as it is often thrown around, this catch phrase encompasses a much more limited philosophy that has for decades driven our prison population soaring, along with the corresponding drastic increase in cost to our criminal justice system.
Those advocating for tough-on-crime policies suggest that all offenders should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, largely through extended incarceration. While incarceration is often a necessary means to ensure public safety and punish violent criminals, it is the wrong approach for nonviolent offenders.
Locking these nonviolent offenders in prison is extremely costly for taxpayers, and when wielded indiscriminately, does not advance public safety. Embracing my definition of “tough on crime” means incorporating a broader set of tools in public safety. It requires us to look at crime and punishment through a lens of sense and sensibility.
“Smart Justice” is an approach to the criminal justice system that can improve public safety and reduce the costs of incarceration. Smart Justice is tough on crime because it uses targeted approaches to reduce the likelihood of offenders repeating their crimes, which improves public safety. More importantly, it doesn’t give a pass to any offender, and retains stringent penalties for our most dangerous criminals. More aptly put, it is “smart on crime.”
The Florida TaxWatch Center for Government Efficiency proposed three Smart Justice recommendations to the Legislature last fall that would save state taxpayers up to $131 million. These recommendations in the TaxWatch Modern Management & Sensible Savings report include expanding diversion programs; educational, vocational and faith-based programs in prisons; and expanding re-entry and work release programs for inmates returning to society. Not only do these recommendations save money, they improve public safety.
At a time when our state Department of Corrections is receiving more taxpayer money, despite Florida’s falling crime rate, it is time for our lawmakers to pursue cost-saving reforms, such as those recommended by the Center for Government Efficiency.
In part, we need to do a better job of ensuring that our elected officials and public safety professionals are informed about the potential savings through Smart Justice application. This means we need more engaged citizens, more system accountability, and vigilant monitoring of progress.
By implementing Smart Justice reforms, the state can spend less and provide more, but more importantly, we can help people exit the cycle of incarceration and reduce the ever-increasing costs for taxpayers. Smart Justice – really being tough but smart on crime – is in all of our best interests.
Bob Stork is Founder and CEO of Communications International. Stork is the vice-chairman of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Florida TaxWatch Center for Government Efficiency, a Trustee at Florida Polytechnic University, and formerly the chairman of the TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
