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Hubert H. Humphrey      Rebuttal 3

Question 3: Given Minnesota's climbing prison population, the public pressure to reduce taxes and an apparent stalemate in the war on drugs, how would you, as governor, balance the cost of criminal justice with the need to ensure the safety of Minnesotans?

I notice that each of the other responding candidates chose to
use their response to question three as a forum to advocate
liberalizing Minnesota’s drug laws.  However, the question was
"how would you, as Governor balance the cost of criminal
justice with the need to ensure the safety of Minnesotans?"

My earlier response articulated a number of strategies to make
our criminal justice system more cost effective. As I indicated
before, I strongly support steps to reduce the cost of
incarceration.  Among them are increasing use of
double-bunking, ensuring systems are at capacity and ensuring
efficient incarceration use.  I have supported measures which
require criminals to help pay for their care.

I have initiated legislation to curtail costly, frivolous
inmate lawsuits.  It is also important to make effective use of
our probation systems.

Through the efforts of prosecutors, law enforcement and
community, our crime rates are going down, not up.  In my view,
any level of crime is unacceptable whether it is graffiti on a
neighborhood wall or the gangland slaying of our youth.  The
human cost of crime is intolerable.  Its economic impact is
huge.  When compared to the cost of corrections, the cost of
crime is enormously expensive.  A report by the Justice
Department estimates that crime costs Americans more than $450
billion a year, not including the costs of corrections.  We
must continue our efforts to combat both the economic and
social costs of crime.

As Attorney General, I have been instrumental in leading the
state in aggressive measures to create victim rights
legislation, develop anti-stalking legislation, establish
comprehensive sexual violence legislation, create one of the
first state DNA labs in the nation, develop a system for
registration of sex offenders, enhance protections against
child abuse.  I am also proud of my work to establish a
statewide criminal gang strike force and improving mandatory
prison terms on felons with guns. This is only a partial list.
For a more extensive report about my record in keeping
Minnesota safe, see "Criminal Justice" at
http://www.humphrey98.org.

Each of these measures is designed to reduce the cost of crime.
Contrary to the suggestions of my opponents, these measures do
not automatically result in incarceration of the working
people.  Minnesota has led the nation in the use of restorative
justice.  We have established drug courts that focus on
immediate response and treatment of addicted offenders. We have
created a boot camp to give low-level offenders discipline and
save the costs of incarceration.  Our use of effective
intermediate sanctions is an important component in our
strategy to manage the costs of corrections.

Finally, I want to emphasize the import important work of
keeping our young people out of the criminal justice system
through prevention, protection and restraint.  Ultimately, that
will be the most cost-effective measure of all.