CRIME/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump frequently depicts a nation suffering from a bloody crime wave—at times citing incorrect data or unverifiable accounts—raising the prospect of increased prosecutions and tougher penalties. That message is splitting the law-enforcement community and would contradict a growing consensus in his own party around policies aimed at reducing prison populations.
Several new executive actions by the administration could open the door to stepped-up enforcement and stronger penalties aimed at what it sees as a tide of lawlessness fueled by illegal immigrants, gangs and drug cartels. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said last week he expects ‘greater enforcement’ of federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized recreational use…
These measures have drawn pushback from some law-enforcement leaders, who say they aren’t equipped to enforce immigration law, and from criminal-justice experts across the political spectrum wary of a reprise of the “war on drugs” that they say swelled prisons, devastated minority communities and drained tax dollars. They also point to data that shows crime hovering near multidecade lows, despite a recent uptick in the murder rate. Many states, including several headed by conservative Republicans, have been moving toward easing sentences and helping inmates transition back into society to lower inmate counts.”
– Beth Reinhard and Jess Bravin, “Donald Trump’s Message on Crime Draws Some Pushback,” The Street Journal online, Feb. 26, 2017