Back before the US invaded Iraq Saddam released all of the criminals in Iraq's prisons. Much of the unrest in Iraq is caused by these criminals. Imagine what the situation would be if the 2 million people in prison were released all at once. An unprecedented crime wave would ensue. Liberals like Brian Williams have not been able to figure out why the crime rate in the US has declined as the number of people in prison went up. (Williams once puzzled about that on a telecast.)