Ethics

Cheering James Webb

By Ed Brayton

Sen. James Webb of Virginia plans to do something that few politicians have had the courage to do: introduce legislation to reform the prison system and put the focus on rehabilitation of non-violent offenders and incarceration of violent offenders.

This spring, Webb (D-Va.) plans to introduce legislation on a long-standing passion of his: reforming the U.S. prison system. Jails teem with young black men who later struggle to rejoin society, he says. Drug addicts and the mentally ill take up cells that would be better used for violent criminals. And politicians have failed to address this costly problem for fear of being labeled "soft on crime."

It is a gamble for Webb, a fiery and cerebral Democrat from a staunchly law-and-order state. Virginia abolished parole in 1995, and it trails only Texas in the number of people it has executed. Moreover, as the country struggles with two wars overseas and an ailing economy, overflowing prisons are the last thing on many lawmakers' minds.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on December 31, 2008 (boomark / email).