Were there a Doomsday Clock on criminal justice issues, President Trump would be pushing the dial’s big hand toward midnight, Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox writes in USA Today. He says Trump’s policies, plans and pronouncements may actually increase lawlessness and disorder. He cites five examples of “Trump’s flawed agenda on crime control”:
1) Immigration: Immigrants pose less of a threat in terms of crime and violence than the average American citizen, yet his creation of an office for Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement singles out and demonizes those coming to America. 2) Private Prisons: Not only are these institutional surrogates ineffective in terms of recidivism, but it is wrong to incentivize private industry to lock up more inmates longer.
3) Marijuana Enforcement: Doubling down on federal enforcement in progressive states that legalized recreational marijuana is a waste of resources and seems to be little more than mean-spirited punishment for the 2016 election results. 4) Violence Against Women: This federal initiative faces an uncertain future under a president who bragged, “No one respects women more than me.” 5) Guns: As part of Trump’s unholy alliance with the NRA, “gun-free zones” in schools and military bases as well as limits on right-to-carry provisions may end.