...AND SAFER...:

The most important takeaway from these numbers is that today, still, we are in a time of historically low crime. This increase in public safety has come at a time when dozens of states, mainly in conservative jurisdictions like Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi, have found alternatives to incarcerating low-level offenders that decrease their likelihood of re-offending, thus keeping us all safer.

Let me restate that last point, as it may seem counterintuitive: States are innovating with programs that include alternatives to jail and result in lower crime rates by those offenders. That means less taxpayer dollars spent and safer communities - at the same time.

Smart, targeted use of incarceration of dangerous criminals preserves law and order. However, as we have seen, the correct prescription isn't always to lock up every offender and throw away the key. In fact, this has been shown to exacerbate the problem in the case of many low-level offenders.

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