DEBATING THE MERITS OF THE CONSERVATIVES' CRIME REDUCTION PLAN

McKnight seems to be ignoring his own advice to Harper. He insists
that all the best research by the "experts" proves that increasing
prison time doesn't work.

He sneers at Harper for stating that people who work in ivory towers
might be wrong. He denigrates the Conservative justice platform, which
included measures such as mandatory sentences for drug trafficking and
the elimination of conditional sentencing for violent crimes.

But McKnight offers no evidence to back up his claims. In fact, he
ignores strong research showing that increased prison time does work
to deter crime.

In his well-known book, Freakonomics, the University of Chicago's
Steven Levitt states that "the evidence linking increased punishment
with lower crime rates is very strong" and cites impressive statistics
to prove it. Levitt includes the comment that "apparently it takes a
PhD in criminology to doubt that keeping dangerous criminals
incarcerated cuts crime." Maybe Harper is not so off-base, after all.

Marilyn Baker

Richmond