San Francisco has one of lower violent crime rates in large American cities. Its murder rates are steadily falling to about 1/10th that of Detroit and about 1/3 that of Chicago. The overall crime rates result from a rash of vandalism, pick pocketing tourists and shoplifting.
The proposal in San Francisco to change the language of the justice system might have merit.
To quote the board that made the proposal:
The board... in its “person-first” language proposal justified the changes by claiming that words like “prisoner,” “convict,” “inmate” or “felon” essentially “only serve to obstruct and separate people from society...Inaccurate information, unfounded assumptions, generalizations and other negative predispositions associated with justice-involved individuals create societal stigmas, attitudinal barriers, and continued negative stereotypes. We don’t want people to be forever labeled for the worst things that they have done,” Supervisor Matt Haney told the Chronicle. “We want them ultimately to become contributing citizens, and referring to them as felons is like a scarlet letter that they can never get away from.”
Given the rates of recidivism and that the goal of incarceration is reform, maybe the proposal is worth a try if it helps these people reintegrate into society. Why Not?
