On Wednesday's CBS This Morning, liberal activist Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative was given a mostly unchallenged forum to advocate for reducing the large number of criminals in jail -- which liberals are known for labeling as "mass incarceration" -- as the group failed to make any mention of the role that jailing criminals has played in reducing crime over the past several decades.
Co-host John Dickerson began the segment by lamenting:
The U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other nation in the world, according to the latest government data. In 2016, about two million people were in jails and prisons. That's compared to less than 200,000 in 1972. The Equal Justice Initiative is a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation for inmates and works to end mass incarceration.
After introducing Bryan Stevenson as a live guest, Dickerson lauded him as he added: "He's won national acclaim for his work as an advocate for the poor, neglected, and marginalized people in America."
Out of the three co-hosts who took part in the interview, no one recalled just how drastically crime levels have dropped since 1972 in spite of the country's population increasing substantially. In their home state of New York, for example, the total number of murders in 1972 was 2,026, but, in 2016, it was only 630.
In the same time period, the total number of robberies plummeted from 86,391 to 22,316, and the overall number of violent crimes dropped from 138,542 to 74,285.
Co-host Gayle King ended up invoking those who have likened him to a "young Nelson Mandela" as she recalled plans to produce a film about his liberal activism.
