(Caspar Benson/Getty Images).
The Missouri General Assembly is at a crossroads this legislative session as their constituents demand they do something, almost anything, to put a stop to violent crime.
It’s no secret that Missouri ranks in the top 10 states in the U.S. for both violent crime and property crime, and several Missouri communities lead the nation with high crime rates. As lawmakers consider solutions, what’s most important: looking tough or getting dangerous criminals off the streets?
Proposals that claim to be tough on crime could do more harm than good with the policies of House Bill 862, House Bill 314 and House Bill 389 focusing on increasing Missouri’s minimum sentencing. Almost tripling the number of felons required to serve extended prison terms would cost billions of taxpayer dollars, overcrowd Missouri’s current prisons or require new ones.
All of these bills also ignore the thousands of violent criminals in Missouri slipping through the cracks.
The Missouri Department of Corrections underscores these issues in a fiscal note stating that HB 862 would mean a total of 6,674 additional people in Missouri prisons, with the other two proposals adding 3,637 to prisons. With more than 23,000 people in state prisons, the department’s website states: “Our correctional facilities are over capacity and projected to continue growing.”
In contrast, in 2022, an astonishing 62% of violent crimes reported to police across Missouri have gone unsolved. Ask yourselves, would a criminal worry that lawmakers might tack on extra years to a prison sentence, or do they prefer the odds they’ll never be caught?
Missouri already has some of the strictest sentencing laws in the nation, requiring dangerous felons to serve 85% of their sentences, and anyone with three or more previous felonies serving 80% of their sentences.
Both HB 314 and HB 389 would increase punishments for people who have committed their first or second felony. This is a misguided approach to lock up first-time, non-violent offenders with hardened criminals. And it could potentially derail the good work already happening at the department of corrections, which has reported a decrease in recidivism over the past three years.
Data consistently shows that the strongest deterrent to crime is the probability of getting caught. Unsolved crimes embolden criminals and leave victims vulnerable.
I’m a mom, and I know that if I stick my toddler in time-out for five minutes instead of three minutes, it won’t prevent him from drawing on the walls or other undesirable behavior.
Instead, it’s knowing that he will be caught that deters his future bad behavior. At risk of simplifying a complex issue — and tarnishing my 4-year-old’s reputation — there are plenty of smarter approaches to address Missouri’s public safety concerns than simply extending punishments.
Other states have attempted to use minimum sentencing increases with disastrous results. In Wisconsin, for example, similar policies increased the prison population by 14% and drove corrections costs over $2 billion. In Georgia, mandatory sentences made prisons more violent and increased crime rates after release.
Some alternative solutions in other states that actually work include Texas and North Carolina as they’ve pioneered alternative response units, allowing law enforcement to focus on violent crimes leaving non-violent situations in the hands of mental health professionals and social workers. Lawmakers in Tennessee and Arkansas offer state grants to local law enforcement to help police departments fund staffing, new equipment, and enhanced investigative techniques and training.
The right tools can empower law enforcement to clear more cases and restore public confidence in their work. Expanding the use of advanced DNA testing, facial recognition, and crime hot-spot identification can speed up investigations and solve cases faster. Reducing backlogs in crime labs and updating outdated systems can help solve more cases.
The solution to Missouri’s crime problem lies not in creating longer sentences but in increasing clearance rates and supporting law enforcement with the tools they need to protect the citizens they serve. With the right resources and targeted legislation that promises proven results, we can reverse the trend of declining clearance rates and create a safer future for Missouri communities.