Was Racism the Center of the Crime Session?

Robert Mann Think504.com I have at least four theories about the rationale behind Gov. Jeff Landry’s recent Crime-Fighting” Special Session. He and his supporters are ignorant and misguided. Even though all available evidence proves otherwise, they are blinded by ideology that says packing our prisons will make us safer. I know Landry has many State House and Senate allies who believe this. They’re the kind of people for whom evidence from social scientists is suspect. They follow their feelings instead and are guided by vibes and mindless adherence to Old Testament Theology. Their policy acumen is about as deep as the LSU lakes – shallow, silted in, and overrun by alien vegetation. But if a state’s incarceration rate made us safer, Louisiana would be a crime-free utopia. Gov. Jeff LandryLandry knows that what he’s doing won’t make Louisiana safer. But it will make his supporters feel safer, probably in the same way that an abusive husband feels virulent and in control after assaulting his wife. It is a poisonous, destructive act that still gives Landry and his crowd a temporary adrenaline rush. And, as crime in Louisiana was already plummeting, he’ll get credit for the inevitable continued decline, no matter...