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Discussing Right On Crime with the Heartland Institute

November 30, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Last week, I recorded a podcast with Steve Stanek of the Heartland Institute to discuss Right On Crime. Stanek mentioned a recent Chicago Tribune article he had read which indicated that in the 1960s, the Illinois Criminal Code was only 72 pages long — but is now about 1,300 pages long. We discussed this expansion in the criminal law — and the larger phenomenon of dramatic prison growth — before talking about a few possible solutions to the problem. You can listen to the full interview by clicking below:

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog

Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools

October 31, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Jeanette Moll of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right On Crime recently appeared on Substance Abuse 411 to discuss her research on zero tolerance discipline policies in schools. Moll argues that the policies began as well-intentioned responses to serious crime, but have since become recklessly misused on minor incidents and are now often counter-productive. For instance, Moll notes that some students have been suspended for the offense of truancy: “[It] is an interesting way to respond to someone not coming to school,” she says, “to prevent them from coming to school.”

Click below to listen to the full interview:

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Juvenile Justice, Priority Issues, ROC Blog

Is “Tough on Crime” No Longer a Talking Point?

October 1, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Last week, Marc Levin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right On Crime appeared on National Public Radio to discuss whether “Tough On Crime” remains a potent talking point in American politics. Levin observed:

“[E]very major religious faith believes in redemption and the opportunity for people to turn their lives around and not every offender is amenable to rehabilitation, but many are. And so we have a number of both economic and social conservatives involved with Right on Crime who come at it from various different conservative perspectives. And also, frankly, the evidence. I mean there’s been a mountain of research over the last few decades that has shown that different alternatives to prison work, whether it’s problem-solving courts, electronic monitoring, treatment diversions for the mentally ill, we’ve had huge advances in risk assessment instruments that can better match offenders with the right programs.”

Click here to listen to the full interview and to read a transcript.

Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog

An Interview with U.S. Congressman Ted Poe

April 27, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

To close National Victims’ Rights Week, I interviewed United States Congressman Ted Poe about his work chairing the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus. Poe observed that victims’ restitution can come in several different forms. Money is obviously one of those forms, but it’s not the only one. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, Victims

CPAC Hosts a Panel on Overcriminalization

February 14, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

On Saturday morning, at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC, three signatories to the Right On Crime Statement of Principles spoke on a panel about overcriminalization. The panel was moderated by RoC signatory Pat Nolan of Prison Fellowship, and it also featured comments from signatories Eli Lehrer of the Heartland Institute and David Keene, formerly of the American Conservative Union. Mary Schmid Mergler of The Constitution Project was also a panelist.

The panelists discussed several notorious examples of overcriminalization, including the current case involving the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Listen to the full panel discussion here.

Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Overcriminalization, Priority Issues, ROC Blog

Discussing Overcriminalization with Stacy Powells

January 20, 2012 By Marc Levin

On January 18th, I discussed overcriminalization on KMMT Radio in California with Stacy Powells.  The complete interview can be heard by clicking below:

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, California, Overcriminalization, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives

Successfully Cutting Crime and Costs in Texas

January 14, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Texas has, in many ways, become a model for the nation. The Legislature has reformed both the adult and juvenile justice systems to cut costs, provide more effective responses to criminal behavior, and protect public safety. There is more work to be done, however, to further reduce crime, empower and restore victims, and control corrections spending. This panel at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s 2012 Policy Orientation discusses how Texas got tough and smart on crime and how the state can take the next steps in its criminal justice transformation. Panelists included former Harris County District Judge Caprice Cooper, Adam Gelb of the Pew Center on the States, and Texas Representatives Jerry Madden and Marisa Marquez. Marc Levin of Right On Crime served as moderator.

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Texas

Criminal Law vs. Free Enterprise: What’s the Verdict?

January 14, 2012 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Criminal laws, both state and federal, have dramatically increased in scope, expanding to cover traditionally non-criminal behavior such as ordinary, non-fraudulent business activities. In Texas, there are more than 1,700 statutory criminal offenses, including 11 felonies relating to harvesting oysters. Further, many such laws are overly vague and broad and do not require a culpable mental state for conviction. This panel at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s 2012 Policy Orientation discussed the distinction between valid criminal sanctions and the criminalization of capitalism. The panelists included Texas Rep. Bill Callegari, Shannon Edmonds of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, and Tim Lynch of the Cato Institute. Marc Levin of Right On Crime served as the moderator.

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Overcriminalization, Priority Issues, ROC Blog

Right On Crime Launches in Georgia

October 5, 2011 By Vikrant P. Reddy

Last week, Right On Crime officially launched in the state Georgia.  In the process, Right On Crime caught the attention of legislators throughout the state, generated significant media attention, and added two prominent Georgia conservatives to the Statement of Principles: Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and Larry Thompson, the former U.S. Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush.

The launch featured comments from David Keene, the former Chairman of the American Conservative Union, Kelly McCutchen of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, and Marc Levin of Right On Crime.  You can listen to audio from the Georgia launch by clicking below:

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Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Georgia, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Uncategorized

What Texas Conservatives Think about Criminal Justice

April 4, 2011 By Vikrant P. Reddy

This afternoon at 2:00 Central Time, Right On Crime will announce the results of a poll taken to measure attitudes towards criminal justice reform in Texas.  The poll asked three questions:

1. In addressing Texas’ budget shortfall, do you favor or oppose policymakers applying the same level of scrutiny to the size and cost of the Texas prison system as to other government programs?

67% were in favor.

2. If you knew that prison is twenty times more expensive than mandatory probation, then would you favor or oppose requiring non-violent, first-time felony offenders to work and pay restitution while on mandatory probation supervision in order to help close Texas’ budget shortfall?

80% were in favor.

3. Would you favor or oppose stronger court oversight and mandatory treatment instead of prison for low-level drug possession offenders with no prior felonies on their record?

78% were in favor.

Political dialogue in Texas is currently dominated by the question of how to address the state’s budget shortfall.  In such an environment — one in which budgetary concerns are paramount – the results of this poll are especially important.   They indicate that Texans who are concerned with finding thoughtful ways to balance the state budget are willing to look at reforming the criminal justice system.

At the announcement later today, Marc Levin of Right On Crime will discuss the poll results — and the implications for public policy in Texas — along with Michael Sullivan of Empower Texans and Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business.  For those who cannot attend the announcement, an audio recording will be posted here at RightOnCrime.com.

UPDATE: Click below to listen to the recording.

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Filed Under: Audio, Events, Prisons, ROC Blog, Texas
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