Prison reform

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia is introducing a bill into the Senate to create a bipartisan commission on prison reform that would conduct an 18 month review of the entire prison system. The bill has pretty broad support and should pass. Among the many reason Webb gives for the need of this commission are

*With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.
*Incarcerated drug offenders have soared 1200% since 1980.
*Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.
*Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based; and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.
*Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society.

These are all good reasons to reform prisons and all good reasons to move forward. But my question is this: don't we already know all of these problems exist? Don't we already know why they exist? Don't we all pretty much know what the solutions are? Isn't any 18 month review just pretty much going to restate these same problems we already know about? If so, then of what use is it? Why not act now on the problems we already know exist?

Because the senate is a stupid place. Even though everyone knows the problems that exist they need to have an official panel 'look into it' so they can come back with their observations of things we already know and everyone can act surprised and move to 'do something'. If we're just going to end up a year and a half from now with yet another official study to go with all the other official studies, while the fight gets boiled down to 'tough on crime' vs. 'soft on crime', then why don't we just start that fight up now? Is another comprehensive study really going to change the minds of people who want mandatory minimums and 8 years olds tried as adults so they can piece together an effective campaign ad?

If it does help then good, but I think we're going to have the same 'debate' on prisons we always have: somebody who knows something banging on a report and yelling "See!" for the umpteenth time versus a bunch of people snickering about 'liberal pussies' and how Jim Webb wants rapists out of prison quicker so they can ravage all of your grandmothers. Good luck anyway. Oh if you're not too busy, have them look at drug decriminalization and the drug war. It'll engender the same 'debate', but it's always nice to have yet another study showing our absolute failure to have a sensible drug policy.