A view from the future: Questioning conventional wisdom in criminal justice

The public conversation about criminal justice has changed dramatically over the past generation. When I got my start in the early 1990s, the debate was dominated by the need to “get tough on crime” on behalf of “innocent victims.” “Swift and certain” sanctions had to be administered to offending populations. And the government was exhorted not to make decisions based on anecdotes, but instead to invest in “evidence-based programs” that had proven their effectiveness in changing offenders’ behavior.