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America’s incarceration rate is in decline

(www.theatlantic.com)
258 points paulpauper | 3 comments | 25 Jun 25 17:14 UTC | HN request time: 0.497s | source
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philipallstar ◴[26 Jun 25 11:11 UTC] No.44386200[source]▶
Incarceration isn't the same thing as crime. If the most populous state by far (California, almost 40m people in 2025) passes a law[0] that stealing things under $950 is a misdemeanor rather than a felony, then crime can continue while incarceration rates drop.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_47

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snarf21 ◴[26 Jun 25 14:26 UTC] No.44387764[source]▶
This is a very one sided presentation of the facts. This fact is generally used to suggest that theft is all a liberal blue state issue. The highest felony theft amount in the US is in red Texas and is $2500. Around 40 states have a *HIGHER* felony $ limit for theft than California. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense to not spend $10K+ to jail someone for stealing $500 of stuff. There are more cost effective ways to rehabilitate people. However, our society doesn't prioritize helping as much as punishing.
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1. almosthere ◴[26 Jun 25 16:09 UTC] No.44388736[source]▶
Yeah search for "California store owner kills" and "Texas store owner kills" and see the variety that comes up. In Texas the people are the militia and defend their property. That limit doesn't matter there.
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2. Spivak ◴[26 Jun 25 18:43 UTC] No.44390107[source]▶
Sounds like crime is real bad in Texas if citizens are having to take the law into their own hands.

My state has guns and a felony theft limit higher than Cali and we neither have store clerks regularly killing people nor businesses closing due to theft.

3. nitwit005 ◴[27 Jun 25 00:03 UTC] No.44392648[source]▶
People are increasingly shopping at chain stores, where the staff generally aren't interested in risking their lives for some shareholders. The same phenomenon of stores locking up products on their shelves is happening in both places.