‘Tough on Crime’: Effective or Folly? (Law Student Essay Competition)

“Tough on crime” is a policy buzzword that is regularly bandied about to secure elections and appointments and (ostensibly) to protect the public at large from unknown and innumerable criminal elements. However, despite all the promises of a safer society, “tough on crime” initiatives have been spectacular disappointments. Society is being tough on crime when it should actually be getting “smart on crime.”