Show-Me Pros & Cons Of Prison Sentencing

A thoughtful column from a conservatives finds its way into our 2nd favorite prog blog . . . Take a peek: 

"If we say the system failed to deter, we should be clear about what deterrence means. It depends less on how long someone might serve and more on how likely they believe they are to be caught. A large body of criminological research reaches the same conclusion. As the National Institute of Justice puts it, “the certainty of being caught is a vastly more powerful deterrent than the punishment.”

"This has concrete implications for what Missouri should fund and prioritize . . ."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

In Missouri crime debate, certainty of punishment matters more than severity * Missouri Independent

Recent murders in Kansas City and St. Louis - one at a nightclub, the other at a coffeeshop - have people asking why the assailants, both with histories of violent crime, were out on the streets in the first place. When violence strikes, anger is natural. It often translates into demands for harsher sentences.