Congress is now considering the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025, and the House Judiciary Committee recently examined the Bureau of Prisons in an oversight hearing. So this seems like the right moment to ask a basic question: Is our “tough on crime” approach actually tough on crime, or only tough on taxpayers and future victims?

There are two types of people we incarcerate. The first group is truly dangerous and must be removed from society. The second group broke laws and caused harm, but does not overlap with that category. These must be held accountable, but they are not inherently violent or beyond repair.

Here is the reality: At least 95 percent of people in state prison will return to our communities. Corrections does not decide who enters. Courts hand down sentences, corr

See Full Page