547: Does more incarceration lead to less crime?

The boys drink and review Atlas Brewery's Festbier then ask whether locking up criminals results in less crime.

Why doesn’t mass incarceration always lead to lower crime rates? Research shows that most crimes are committed by a small group of career offenders -- 5–10% of criminals may be responsible for half of all crimes. Locking up these repeat offenders *does* reduce crime. But once those individuals are off the streets, the returns diminish.

This episode of beer and conversation explores:

* How chronic offenders drive violent and property crime
* Why locking up violent repeat offenders lowers crime
* Why incarcerating non-violent offenders often has little impact (and can even make things worse)
* Other factors, like broken families and gang dynamics, that continue to fuel crime

The key takeaway: targeted incarceration works — blanket incarceration does not.