Why Are So Many Violent Criminals Walking Free?

Given that the war on drugs isn’t working, shouldn’t we allocate those resources to provide for investigations for all violent crimes instead?

Alex Kreit

Alex Kreit is Associate Professor of Law at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Professor Kreit clerked for the Honorable M. Blane Michael on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He then worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco where his practice focused on securities and appellate litigation.

Fewer than half of all violent crimes were resolved in 2011, but over 7 million people are serving time in U.S. prisons. The majority of prisoners were arrested on drug charges, and 81 percent of those are in prison for simple possession. While the United States spends billions of dollars and millions of man hours fighting a war on drugs, 59 percent of rapists and 36.2 percent of murderers are never brought to justice. What do we get for that time and money? It has never been easier to buy drugs. The war on drugs isn’t working, and victims and survivors of violent crimes deserve more thorough investigations. Whatever your stance on drug policy, Prof. Alex Kreit says, shouldn’t we allocate resources to provide for investigations for all violent crimes? Shouldn’t victims come first? Who are the real victims of the war on drugs? What do you think should be done about it?