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Presidential News
Pres. Obama’s Advisers Just Revealed An Unconventional Solution To Mass Incarceration
Mass incarceration is failing to pre- vent crime, according to the Obama administration — so much so that the president’s staff is looking in a few un- conventional places for new ideas on public safety.
For example, raising the federal min- imum wage to $12 an hour could pre- vent as many as half a million crimes annually, according to a new report from the White House’s Council of Eco- nomic Advisers, a group of economists and researchers charged with providing the president with analysis and advice on economic questions.
Spending an additional $10 billion to expand police forces could reduce crime by as much as 16%; they project, pre- venting 1.5 million crimes a year.
In the report, the CEA argues for a broader analysis of the problems of crime and incarceration, touching on subjects that seem unrelated to criminal justice, such as early childhood educa- tion and health care. The authors of the report contend that by helping people get by legally, those other elements of the president’s agenda would be more effec- tive in reducing crime than incarcera- tion.
“If we reform our criminal justice sys- tem, our communities will be safer, and our economy will be stronger,” said Va- lerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the President, at a conference at the White House on Monday. “The statistics are
very clear.”
The authors of the report review re-
search on the costs of incarceration as well as the benefits in terms of reducing crime. An inmate in a prison can’t com- mit a crime on the street, and the risk of being imprisoned might deter some from breaking the law.
Criminologists have found, however, that criminals aren’t deterred by the prospect of incarceration if they think they won’t be caught. The likelihood of being punished is more important to criminals than the punishment’s sever- ity. And plenty of inmates aren’t habitual criminals. Imprisoning offenders who aren’t likely to commit more crimes in the future anyway is an expensive way to keep the public safe.
For these reasons, the authors of the
White House’s report conclude that mass incarceration just isn’t worth the money. Hiring more police officers or investing in public education would do more to re- duce crime and create greater monetary benefits for society as a whole, they say.
The authors consider a few ways of re- ducing crime. They forecast that hiking the federal minimum hourly wage from $7.25 - $12 would reduce crime by 3-5%, as fewer people would be forced to turn to illegal activity to make ends meet. By contrast, spending an additional $10 bil- lion on incarceration — a massive in- crease — would reduce crime by only 1-4%, according to the report.
In the analysis, Pres. Obama’s staff assumed that increasing the minimum wage to $12 an hour would have a negli- gible effect on the number of people
working, but the minimum wage can, in theory, discourage employers from hir- ing. Economists are uncertain, for exam- ple, whether or not a federal minimum of $15 an hour would put people out of work, and major increases in the mini- mum could increase crime by making it more difficult for people to find legal em- ployment.
The most effective way to reduce crime would be to spend more money on policing, the report projects. Research consistently shows that departments with more manpower and technology do a better job of protecting the public, and the United States has 35% fewer officers relative to the population than do other countries on average.
The conference was one of several ef- forts this week by the Obama adminis- tration to draw attention to the failures of American criminal justice, both in protecting public safety and in helping criminals becoming productive citizens. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch is also asking state policymakers to help recently released federal inmates obtain government - issued identification — which is often necessary to get a job.
“The loss of a productive life for some- one who is incarcerated for too long is an incalculable cost at some level,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former eco- nomic adviser to President George W. Bush, at the White House on Mon- day.
President Obama Nominates Eight To Serve On U. S. District Courts
WASHINGTON, DC - Thurs- day, President Obama nomi- nated Judge Patricia D. Barksdale, Judge Todd E. Edelman, William F. Jung, Judge Philip R. Lammens, Judge Florence Y. Pan, Regina M. Rodriguez, Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, and Anne Rachel Traum to serve on the U. S. District Courts.
“Throughout their careers, these nominees have displayed unwavering commitment to jus- tice and integrity,” said Pres. Obama. “Their records are dis- tinguished and impressive, and I am confident that they will serve the American people well from the U. S. District Court bench. I am honored to nominate them today.”
Judge Patricia D. Barksdale: Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Judge Patricia D. Barksdale has served as a U. S. Magistrate Judge for the U. S. Dis- trict Court for the Middle District of Florida since 2013.
Judge Todd E. Edelman:
Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Judge Todd E. Edelman has served as an Associate Judge on the Superior Court for the District of Columbia since 2010.
William F. Jung: Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
William F. Jung is a partner at the law firm of Jung & Sisco, P.A. (formerly Black & Jung, P.A.)
in Tampa, FL,
which he co-
founded in 1993.
He specializes in
white collar crimi-
nal defense and
complex civil liti-
gation. Prior to
starting his own Jung firm, Jung served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney for six years – first in the Southern District of Florida from 1987 - 1990 and subse- quently in the Middle District of Florida from 1990 - 1993. From 1985 - 1987, he was an associate for the Tampa, FL office of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, P.A. From 1984 - 1985, he served as a law clerk to then-Justice William H. Rehnquist cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1980.
Judge Philip R. Lammens:
Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Judge Philip R. Lammens
has served as a U. S. Magistrate Judge for the U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida since 2012.
Judge Florence Y. Pan:
Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the
District of Columbia
Regina M. Rodriguez:
Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the
District of Colorado
Justice Patricia Timmons- Goodson: Nominee for the U. S. District Court for the Eastern
District of North Carolina
Atty. William F.
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