California is considering releasing criminals and lightening sentences to save money. A blog author asked “Should we let criminals go free to save money?” I responded:

Legalize pot. That would save money, bring in taxes, and release a lot of productive citizens into the workforce to create more wealth overall. Also, overturn all convictions for possession or sale of cannabis. I’m not talking amnesty, I’m talking clearing the books of all offenses - ever. If someone also committed a real crime, well that sucks for them, but wipe the slate clean with regard to marijuana.

In addition, do away with all federal statutes that deny receipt of aid for drug offenses. It’s ridiculously counterproductive to deny Pell grants to kids who want to get an education just because they have some drug conviction on their record.

There’s a lot that can be done to save money by backing off on the useless drug war. And it would be a virtuous cycle, one that improved on itself. A sensible approach to drug use would decrease crime and decrease incarceration rates by keeping drug users within the fold, rather than pushing them to the outside where they’re only encouraged to remain on the outside, outside the law, outside the legal economy.

Prison should be a place for real criminals, people who commit crimes against property or persons, not for people who disobey arbitrary cultural rules.