June 25, 2010

Federalist Society vs. observed reality

Back in October, 2008, Federalist Society co-founder and law professor Steven Calabresi wrote, "If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see ... the mass freeing of criminal defendants."

Mr. Obama won.

Then on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice wrote, "During 2009 ... [t]he federal prison population increased by 6,838 (or 3.4%) which accounted for all of the increase in the U.S. prison population."

Keep up the objective scholarship, Perfesser FedSoc.

2 comments:

Jay Bullock said...

"If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see ... the mass freeing of criminal defendants."
Dude's actually right.

But what he failed to account for is a sudden debt-fear and deficit-hawkiness that has not only prolonged the recession and massive unemployment, but also forced states to slash budgets and actually release many offenders early. The non-federal incarceration rate fell last year for the first time in my lifetime.

illusory tenant said...

Or else he had in mind Conrad Black.