Criminal Justice

The Overcriminalization of America

January 7, 2015

How to boost social welfare, reduce poverty and improve race relations by rethinking our justice system

Source: “The Overcriminalization of America: How to boost social welfare, reduce poverty and improve race relations by rethinking our justice system,” Politico

Charles Koch co-authored an op-ed in Politico on the need to reevaluate the United States criminal justice system. The piece highlights the growing number of criminal offenses – especially for nonviolent crimes – and the disproportionate effects these policies have on racial minorities and low-income communities. Koch suggests that the country seek thoughtful approaches to codifying, prosecuting, and sentencing as avenues towards improving opportunity and societal well-being:

Overcriminalization has led to the mass incarceration of those ensnared by our criminal justice system, even though such imprisonment does not always enhance public safety. Indeed, more than half of federal inmates are nonviolent drug offenders. Enforcing so many victimless crimes inevitably leads to conflict between our citizens and law enforcement. As we have seen all too often, it can place our police officers in harm’s way, leading to tragic consequences for all involved.

Read the Politico article