Dialogues, by Jerry Brown: on Crime


Jerry Brown: CA fired 8,000 college teachers & hired 25,000 prison guards

In California, between 1980 and 1995, one new state college has been built while 8,000 teachers in higher education have lost their jobs. At the same time, 15 new prisons have been constructed and 25,000 new guards have been hired. We are witnessing an incredible reallocation of commitments in California--and it's mirrored in most of the other states--toward greater coercive control as opposed to education and enlightenment.
Source: Dialogues, by Gov. Jerry Brown, p. 74 Dec 9, 1996

Jerry Brown: War on crime is fabricated to frighten people

CHOMSKY: The US is way ahead of the rest of the industrial world, maybe all the world, in imprisoning its own population. That's for population control. None of that has anything to do with crime.

BROWN: Some prisons are now run by companies that are listed on the stock exchanges. And you've got states like Texas building surplus capacity and then using brokers to bring in prisoners from other states, using their lower salary base to house prisoners for $40 a day rather than $80 a day. This system is working so well. Some people might say that this increase in prison population is a conspiracy, because it seems to be working almost perfectly for those with extra capacity for sale.

CHOMSKY: Everything you said is correct, but I still think that major goal of this fabricated war on crime--which is not affecting crime, incidentally--the major goal is to frighten people, and to make them hate and fear each other.

Source: Dialogues, by Gov. Jerry Brown, p.225 Feb 12, 1996

Noam Chomsky: US uses imprisonment for population control

CHOMSKY: Crime has been rather steady for about 20 years. It is the perception of crime, which is fanned by propaganda, that has increased enormously, and the number of and the number of people in prison is just zooming. It's about triple what it was during the Reagan years. The US is way ahead of the rest of the industrial world, maybe all the world, in imprisoning its own population. That's for population control. None of that has anything to do with crime.

BROWN: You've got states like Texas building surplus capacity and then using brokers to bring in prisoners from other states. Some people might say that this increase in prison population is a conspiracy, because it seems to be working almost perfectly for those with extra capacity f

Source: Dialogues, by Gov. Jerry Brown, p.225 Feb 12, 1996

Jerry Brown: Death penalty is a test of our humanity

Over the centuries, there has persisted the sense of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, a belief in righteous vengeance, a primordial feeling that the killing of criminals will balance the scales of Justice. Christian denominations have accepted capital punishment, and legislation expanding the death penalty to 50 additional criminal offenses has been enacted here in the US. At the same time, Christian doctrine calls upon believers to forgive, to turn the other cheek, and in most European nations, the death penalty has been abolished.

We are faced with the question of the death penalty nearly every time we vote, either in specific crime-related measures, or by candidates promoting their stand for or against capital punishment. This question is nothing less than a test of our humanity, of how we see ourselves and others and how we define the role of the state.

Source: Dialogues, by Gov. Jerry Brown, p. 79-80 Feb 6, 1996

Jerry Brown: 1/3 of young black men in jail means absolute oppression

BROWN: Let's take a look at incarceration. It wasn't long ago, maybe 20 years, that there were a million fewer people behind bars in the US than there are today. With the increase in prison capacity that our leaders boast of, this country is embarking upon an experiment in incarceration that has never been tried outside a totalitarian regime. What are your thoughts on this?

GUEST: One in every 3 African-American young men is part of our criminal justice system, either in jail, on parole, or on more are put in jail than go to college.

BROWN: To have a percentage of a population reaching that level is staggering in its message of absolute oppression, disconnection. There's something so wrong and yet the response as far as I can tell, is to do more of the same in some vain hope it's going to turn things around.

GUEST: Just listen to the racism that permeates the political rhetoric.

Source: Dialogues, by Gov. Jerry Brown, p. 90-1 Feb 6, 1996

  • The above quotations are from Dialogues
    by Gov. Jerry Brown.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Crime.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Jerry Brown on Crime.
  • Click here for more quotes by Noam Chomsky on Crime.
2016 Presidential contenders on Crime:
  Republicans:
Amb.John Bolton(MD)
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Jon Huntsman(UT)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Rep.Peter King(NY)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Secy.Condi Rice(CA)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Rep.Paul Ryan(WI)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Andrew Cuomo(NY)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel(IL)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Gov.Brian Schweitzer(MT)
Dr.Jill Stein(MA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg(I-NYC)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Jesse Ventura(I-MN)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Jul 26, 2015