You forget the other benefit, that incarcerating people makes the non-incarcerated feel better. People like to see other people locked away. It makes them feel safer. That feeling results in votes, votes for the people doing the locking up. It is unfair to blame the police or the courts, or even the legislatures. Blame all those voters who call for "tougher" laws.
Want to really reduce prison populations? Take a hard look at the drug and sex offender laws. That might mean not locking up the meth dealer or rapist, but that is what reducing the prison population means: living with the knowledge that such people will not be entombed far away. That fear is the real issue underpinning the problem.
Want to really reduce prison populations? Take a hard look at the drug and sex offender laws. That might mean not locking up the meth dealer or rapist, but that is what reducing the prison population means: living with the knowledge that such people will not be entombed far away. That fear is the real issue underpinning the problem.