There are a number of reasons for our skyrocketing crime rate–the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd hysteria are obvious culprits–but one obvious factor is that we do not punish crime severely enough. When criminals are let go, they tend to commit more crimes.
My colleague David Zimmer created this simple chart for our state, Minnesota. It shows the dramatic relationship between fewer incarcerations and more crimes–specifically, serious (Part 1) crimes ranging from murder to arson:
I believe Minnesota currently ranks 48 among the states in rate of incarceration, so we are an extreme case. But the principle holds nationwide. Locking criminals up–preferably for a long time–is the most effective antidote to crime.
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