First, I'm not using Italy as a model for anything, except that I'm aware that they have a fairly successful program for dealing with people who are addicted to drugs. It's worth looking at. I'm not passing judgment on whether it's good or bad.
With respect to the United States, there's some mythology. Some of the measures used in the United States have worked. In fact, if you read the book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt, a prize-winning economist, you see, in fact, even using police-reported crimes alone, that the crime rate in Vancouver is a multiple of what it is in New York City, Detroit, or Los Angeles.
Violent crime, by some measures, is higher in Canada than it is in the U.S. Their crime rates have been going down. They do a victim study every year. Their crime rates have been going down dramatically over the last 10 years. The “three strikes and you're out” works. It's harsh justice and we're not advocating that, but in fact taking people who commit multiple crimes off the streets reduces your crime rate. Having more police works.
There's some common mythology that we've had, going back to the 1971 philosophy, that putting people in jail doesn't work. Well, you know what, folks? It works for victims. It may not work for the criminals, who might still be criminals when they come out, but it sure works for the victims. When people are locked up, they can't steal our cars, break into our homes, and shoot each other. They can't do that. That's what we're calling for.