[clue-talk] The War On...?

[Jed S. Baer]

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 20:02:55 -0600
Joseph A. Nagy, Jr. wrote:

> Having done research on crime-statistics (for an anti-war-on-drugs
> speech I gave for Public Speaking class), finding stats any more recent
> then 9-10 years old is hard at best.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/fssc02.htm

Depends on what you're looking for.

And even it the numbers aren't available, that doesn't invalidate my point
that he's comparing apples and oranges. If he were comparing sentences for
similar crimes over time, then yeah, pull in old data.

But that's not what he's doing. He's comparing a max sentence under law to
actual sentences for different crimes. If he were comparing max sentences
under current law for different crimes, his point would have been better
made. That data is available -- perhaps not always easily, but, for
example, all Colorado law is available online.

jed
-- 
http://s88369986.onlinehome.us/freedomsight/

... it is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday
facilitate a police state. -- Bruce Schneier