Newt Gingrich says "criminal justice system is broken, and conservatives must lead the way in fixing it"

The quoted phrase in the title of this post comes directly from this potent Washington Post op-ed authored by Newt Gingrich and Pat Nolan, which is headlined "Prison reform: A smart way for states to save money and lives."  Here are excerpts:

With nearly all 50 states facing budget deficits, it's time to end business as usual in state capitols and for legislators to think and act with courage and creativity.

We urge conservative legislators to lead the way in addressing an issue often considered off-limits to reform: prisons. Several states have recently shown that they can save on costs without compromising public safety by intelligently reducing their prison populations.

We joined with other conservative leaders last month to announce the Right on Crime Campaign, a national movement urging states to make sensible and proven reforms to our criminal justice system — policies that will cut prison costs while keeping the public safe....  The Right on Crime Campaign represents a seismic shift in the legislative landscape.  And it opens the way for a common-sense left-right agreement on an issue that has kept the parties apart for decades.

There is an urgent need to address the astronomical growth in the prison population, with its huge costs in dollars and lost human potential.  We spent $68 billion in 2010 on corrections — 300 percent more than 25 years ago.  The prison population is growing 13 times faster than the general population.  These facts should trouble every American.

Our prisons might be worth the current cost if the recidivism rate were not so high, but, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, half of the prisoners released this year are expected to be back in prison within three years.  If our prison policies are failing half of the time, and we know that there are more humane, effective alternatives, it is time to fundamentally rethink how we treat and rehabilitate our prisoners.

We can no longer afford business as usual with prisons.  The criminal justice system is broken, and conservatives must lead the way in fixing it....

Some people attribute the nation's recent drop in crime to more people being locked up. But the facts show otherwise.  While crime fell in nearly every state over the past seven years, some of those with the largest reductions in crime have also lowered their prison population.  Compare Florida and New York.  Over the past seven years, Florida's incarceration rate has increased 16 percent, while New York's decreased 16 percent.  Yet the crime rate in New York has fallen twice as much as Florida's.  Put another way, although New York spent less on its prisons, it delivered better public safety.

Americans need to know that we can reform our prison systems to cost less and keep the public safe. We hope conservative leaders across the country will join with us in getting it right on crime.

People long involved in sentencing law and policy reform efforts should not be too surprised to see Pat Nolan's name on a op-ed of this nature. But Newt Gingrich until recently has never been known to speak out on these issues and he remains a leading voice for many on the right. Moreover, Gingrich has seriously hinted that he may run for president in 2012 (which I am now rooting for because it will bring added attention to these important issues). Gingrich's loud voice in this arena, especially given that he is saying now exactly what folks at FAMM and The Sentencing Project and other left-leaning groups have been saying for some time, may indeed help engineer a "seismic shift in the legislative landscape."

I wonder what Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, the new chair of the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security, thinks about this op-ed.  And what might the new head of the Judiciary Committee, Representative Lamar Smith, who was the only loud voice this summer complaining about Congress's decision to reduce crack sentencing terms, have to say in reponse.  Interesting times.

Some recent and older related posts on the modern politics of sentencing issues:

• "Right on Crime: The Conservative Case for Reform" officially launches
• When and how will state GOP leaders start cutting expensive criminal justice programming?
• New poll reports that large majority of Americans consider "War on Drugs" a failure
• Examining the politics of crime and punishment in modern gubernatorial settings
• Do "mama grizzlies" have a particular approach to crime and punishment issues?
• Can GOP "Pledge to America" be read to suggest drawing down federal involvement in the drug war?
• Green tea party: will Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin or other professed liberty lovers support ending pot prohibition in California?
• What does the tea party movement have to say about taxing and spending on the death penalty, the drug war and mass incarceration?
• Will we invest in classrooms or cells in these tough times?