End prison for non-violent, non-repetitive offenders

America's criminal justice system is a disgrace; failing on multiple levels. One that stands out is incarceration. The US houses 2.2 million souls, over half a million more than runner up China with four times our population. Containing just 4.3% of the planet's population, we house 22% its its ten million detainees. Cross the border to Canada and the imprisonment rate drops from 743 per hundred thousand to 118 per hundred grand. That's not so grand. America is No. 1, but not in what you should brag about.

Let's stop using the utterly futile and costly adage 'lock em up' when someone commits a non-violent crime. End incarceration for non-violent offenders, with no criminal history and not likely to become repeat offenders. Whether they steal a hot dog from an unguarded vendor or $150 million like the Great Madoff, allow judges the discretion to suspend any prison sentence for such candidates. Use home confinement, except for going to or from work, restitution, and the threat of imposing the suspended sentence for failure to comply.

Use the freed up prison cells to house the truly dangerous, the repetitive and the incorrigible to protect both themselves and society from further murder and mayhem. Let's replace the stupid pills we feed our juries, jurists and legislators with wisdom, compassion and common sense.