Prison Reform

We need to address the root causes of crime in order to reduce the number of criminals and ultimately our prison population. Our criminal-law policies for the past 30 years have resulted in more than 2.2 million people currently being imprisoned in the United States. The magnitude of this incarceration is unique in the course of world history, and it costs American taxpayers an amount that is quickly approaching $100 billion a year to warehouse prisoners and keep them off the streets.

People should serve time for their crimes. But as a country we need policies that can help us identify the reasons that rampant crime exists. There are many contributing factors, including that approximately one-third of the prison population in this country has undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities.

Experts agree that addressing learning disabilities in children helps them to develop social skills that keep them on the right course. As U.S. senator, I will support legislation to redirect a relatively small proportion of the resources that we use to maintain our large and growing prison population and appropriate it to help children with learning disabilities. The objective is to help them to cope so that they can find a place in society -- ultimately reducing the number of people we imprison.