It is widely believed today that the free market is the best mechanism ever invented to efficiently allocate resources in society. Just as fundamental is the belief that government has a legitimate and competent role in policing and punishing. The result, in this country, has been an incendiary combination of laissez faire and mass incarceration.
This term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments in two cases, Sullivan vs. Florida and Graham vs. Florida, that will decide whether it's cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a 13-year-old or a 17-year-old to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court should follow its prior reasoning in Roper vs.
Crime and punishment expert joins White House conversation
Sarah Galer
University of Chicago News Office
September 4, 2009
In late August, the White House convened the Conference on Gang Violence Prevention and Crime Control to discuss community-driven crime prevention programs from around the nation and to explore the role of the federal government in community anti-crime efforts.
