Prisons Are Good

摘要

There is no finer investment, said winston churchill, than putting milk into babies. The second-best investment is putting criminals into prison. It may not bring much in the way of happiness, but it certainly prevents a lot of misery. To judge by the statistics, America is investing very sensibly in prisons. As one might expect, the New York Times has expressed unease that the prison population of the U.S. recently exceeded 2 million for the first time, but from the other side of the Atlantic this appears to be a sign of good health and self-confidence rather than of malaise, weakness and injustice. Unlike Europe, America still has the strength of mind and character to deal with antisocial wrongdoing in a serious and consistent fashion. By contrast we in Europe have all but surrendered to the worst elements in our societies.