The Libertarian Party's Solution to America's Crime Problem

An approach to criminal justice and crime control that is smart, compassionate and tough. An approach that will make our streets safe again.

America suffers from an epidemic of violence and crime, victimizing one family out of four every year. There is a murder every half hour, a rape every five minutes, and a theft every four seconds.

Despite decades of tough talk, the anti-crime policies of the Republicans and Democrats have clearly failed. The Libertarian Party believes a fresh approach is needed. That's why we're offering this five-point plan for making America's streets safe again:

Step 1. Protect Victims' Rights

Protecting the rights and interests of victims should be the basis of our criminal justice system. Victims should have the right to be present, consulted and heard throughout the prosecution of their case.

In addition, Libertarians would do more than just punish criminals. We would also make them pay restitution to their victims for the damage they've caused, including property loss, medical costs, pain, and suffering. If you are the victim of a crime, the criminal should fully compensate you for your loss.

Step 2. End Prohibition

Drug prohibition does more to make Americans unsafe than any other factor. Just as alcohol prohibition gave us Al Capone and the mafia, drug prohibition has given us the Crips, the Bloods and drive-by shootings. Consider the historical evidence: America's murder rate rose nearly 70% during alcohol prohibition, but returned to its previous levels after prohibition ended. Now, since the War on Drugs began, America's murder rates have doubled. The cause/effect relationship is clear. Prohibition is putting innocent lives at risk.

What's more, drug prohibition also inflates the cost of drugs, leading users to steal to support their high priced habits. It is estimated that drug addicts commit 25% of all auto thefts, 40% of robberies and assaults, and 50% of burglaries and larcenies. Prohibition puts your property at risk. Finally, nearly one half of all police resources are devoted to stopping drug trafficking, instead of preventing violent crime. The bottom line? By ending drug prohibition Libertarians would double the resources available for crime prevention, and significantly reduce the number of violent criminals at work in your neighborhood.

Step 3. Get Tough on Real Crime

The Libertarian Party is the party of personal responsibility. We believe that anyone who harms another person should be held responsible for that action. By contrast, the Democrats and Republicans have created a system where criminals can get away with almost anything.

For instance: sentences seldom mean what they say. Fewer than one out of every four violent felons serves more than four years. Libertarians would dramatically reduce the number of these early releases by eliminating their root cause - prison over-crowding.

Since nearly six out of every ten federal prison inmates are there for non-violent drug-related offenses, it's clear that drug prohibition is the primary source of this over-crowding. It has been estimated that every drug offender imprisoned results in the release of one violent criminal, who then commits an average of 40 robberies, 7 assaults, 110 burglaries and 25 auto thefts. Early release of violent criminals puts you and your family at risk. It must stop.

Step 4. Protect the Right to Self-Defense

We believe that the private ownership of firearms is part of the solution to America's crime epidemic, not part of the problem. Evidence: law-abiding citizens in Florida have been able to carry concealed weapons since 1987. During that time, the murder rate in Florida has declined 21% while the national murder rate has increased 12%.

In addition, evidence shows that self-defense with guns is the safest response to violent crime. It results in fewer injuries to the defender (17.4% injury rate) than any other response, including not resisting at all (24.7% injury rate). Libertarians would repeal waiting periods, concealed carry laws, and other restrictions that make it difficult for victims to defend themselves, and end the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.

Step 5. Address the Root Causes of Crime

Any society that lets kids grow up dependent on government welfare, attending government schools that fail to teach, and entering an economy where government policy has crushed opportunity, will be a society that breeds criminals. No permanent solution to crime will be found until we address these root causes of crime.

The Libertarian Party would increase employment opportunities by slashing taxes and government red tape. We would also end the welfare system with its culture of dependence and hopelessness. Most important of all, we would promote low-cost private alternatives to the failed government school system.

Conclusion

The Libertarian Party's anti-crime plan would do what the Democrats and Republicans have not done:

• Respect the victim's rights and make criminals pay full restitution.
• Hold all criminals responsible for their actions.
• Double the police resources available for crime prevention without any additional government spending.
• Reduce the number of criminals at large on our streets.
• Defend the most effective crime deterrent available, the private ownership of guns.
• Create jobs, end welfare dependence, and improve education.

This Libertarian program would help make America's streets safe again.

On the Issues:

• I support the recognition of victim's rights to include participation in the prosecution of criminals, full compensation for damages suffered, ensuring criminals actually serve appropriate sentences, and the opportunity to be heard during probation proceedings.
• I support holding criminals fully responsible for the choices they have made which includes ensuring they actually serve appropriate prison sentences.
• Under the current legal system, a victim is harmed. The convicted criminal is locked up and often has to pay fines to the government. This same government then turns around and then taxes the victim to pay for that incarceration. Is that justice? In cases other than murder, I support allowing the courts to arbitrate between the victim and criminal to establish some sort of reparation rather than classify this as a crime against society; the judicial system would then ensure the criminal lives up to that obligation. If the do not or if no agreement is reached, then the criminal would be punished via the judicial system.
• I support the release of inmates serving time for victimless crimes including drug offenses; this will free space in prison system for those inflicting violence and harm upon others. Further, I support the repeal of the drug prohibition which will allow our dedicated law enforcement officers to focus on the prevention of serious crimes.
• I support the right of citizen's to defend themselves, their families, and property. The right to bear arms has been, when exercised, a major deterrent of violent crime.
• I support government reforms that would create jobs, end welfare dependence and improve education - all of which would reduce crime.
• I oppose the notion that sexual offenders are deserving of legal favor or special protection, and affirm the rights of states and localities to proscribe offensive sexual behavior.
• I support private-partnerships to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills. A model program would have inmates voluntarily providing services to a private enterprise; this company should pay a reasonable fee for the use of prisoner labor; the fee would be used to fund job-related training, offset some incarceration expenses, and set aside funds payable to the inmate upon his or her release.
• In addition to 'court costs', convicted criminals should be expected to pay a law enforcement fee to offset the costs incurred to bring the criminal to the court system. This will serve to shift some of the financial burden from law enforcement from citizens to law-breakers.
• I oppose identifying certain segments of society as a special class for the purposes of 'federal hate crimes'; all citizens should enjoy the same protection under the law.