http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/...-sentences-cut-crime Details.

Another Civitas study found that the countries in the EU with the highest incarceration rates had the lowest crime rates, while those with the lowest incarceration rates had the highest crime rate.

Why this is so is is a great mystery to George Soros and his friends in the Texas Legislature, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, various newspaper editorial boards, Grits for Breakfast, and all the other usual suspects.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Terry Breen,

Here is a link to the study:

Study.

Florida has found the same effect (although some bend over backwards to avoid that conclusion):

Safer than we've been in decades

Why aren't we getting more credit for this? Crime is a non-issue in most general political campaigns today, but only because WE (the system) made it so. Where's the credit?!?

Credit? We don't need no stinking credit!

When we have done our jobs right, and the innocent stay free and the bad guy goes to jail, we have done what society expects. I gave up long ago thinking that we would be appreciated. It's just the satisfaction of having done what is right that is important to me. I am grateful, I guess, that most people do not think of us as "jack booted government thugs".

Besides, We get to sleep the sleep of the angels when we go to bed at night. Unless, of course, we are tormenting ourselves with the next day's business running through our minds. In which case, it's just easier to get out of bed and get something done............

Every now and then, a victim will throw his or her arms around you and say "thank you so much". Who could ask for more?

I suspect Shannon was not referring to the gen'l public, or even from individual victims, when he asked the question. Probably he was thinking of certain legislators who file tons of new bills each session, designed to solve non-problems in the criminal justice system, which often just gum up the works. If they respected our views and the work the system does, they would seek our advise before filing their bills, instead of just filing their bills and waiting to see what happens.

Terry - you are probably right, but I gave up on the legislature making sense long ago. I say this with the cavat that there are some very sharp senators and representatives who are pro law enforcement and pro prosecution. Sometimes, the "good guys" in the legislature have to bear too much in getting the right thing done. I am very grateful for the ones that work for our benefit.

Remember the "shopping cart" law back in the 90's? While it is scary to think of what the legislature would do if Texas was like every other state with a year-round calendar, I still have to scratch my head and am impatient when we have to wait two years to "unscrew" some of the blunders.