&gt; but the actual policies arose from public outrage in the 1980&#x27;s and 1990&#x27;s about the government being &quot;soft on crime.&quot;<p>Bad laws are quickly removed from the books. Unless someone is pocketing money.<p>&gt; Law enforcement, prison unions, private prisons, etc, have definitely benefited from these things<p>Yup.<p>&gt; One bit of context that&#x27;s lost in current discussions is how much consternation existed in the 1980&#x27;s and 1990&#x27;s about crime.<p>I remember. As I mentioned, policies tend to change with the mood ... unless someone is making money off of the previous policies.