MID-TERM ELECTIONS

Tough on Crime

A Republican promise made to be broken

Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

Most Republican political ads today focus on crime. These ads are designed to frighten you into voting for candidates who will support the police making lots of arrests and for those arrested to be punished by going to prison for as long as possible. These ads promise you what everybody wants: safety.

Sending someone to prison for a long time may sound good to you if the memory of that man’s hands on you is still painful … if you’re never going to trust a woman after that one conned you out of your life savings … if you’ve ever had someone come up behind you with a knife and steal your wallet. However, voting for Republican candidates who promise to be tough on crime is bound to backfire on you — for two reasons.

• Being “tough on crime” doesn’t reduce crime or deter criminals. According to an article by the National Institute of Justice, getting caught is a deterrent to crime, but the length of time in prison is not a factor.
• According to the same article, being tough on crime actually increases crime. This is because prisons are where prisoners learn how to assault you, con you, or steal from you next time without getting caught.