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Netherlands
to Close Prisons
The reason? Not Enough Criminals
For years prohibitionists,
including our own Drug Enforcement Administration, have claimed —
falsely —
that the tolerant marijuana policies of the Netherlands have made that
nation a nest of crime and drug abuse.
They may have trouble wrapping their little brains around this:
The Dutch government is closing eight prisons because they don’t have
enough criminals to fill them.
Officials attribute the shortage of prisoners to a declining crime rate.
Just for fun, let’s compare the Netherlands to California. With a
population of 16.6 million, the Dutch
prison population is about 12,000. With its population of 36.7 million,
California should have a bit more
than double the Dutch prison population. California’s actual prison
population is 171,000.
I can think of several reasons why
this is happening:
The
Dutch don't put people in jail because of the color of their skin (like
they do in Texas).
The Dutch don't care what God says
about people peacefully smoking flowers.
The Dutch prisons don't make a
profit from each prisoner they hold.
The Dutch don't have 200M guns and
legal AK-47s.
The Dutch government isn't run by
the religiously insane.
I'm so old, I remember when America ruled the world.
Then the GOP took over, slashed taxes for the super-rich,
and now we live in a bankrupt shithole.