Criminal justice and public safety
Kentucky Tonight primary preview commentary emphasized that Kentuckians want safe streets and for bad people to be incarcerated to protect good people, framing incarceration and street safety as widely shared values in the 2026 election context.
How should Kentucky balance incarceration and public safety policies?
How important is this to you?
✓ You told us where you stand
Sources
Kentucky Tonight speakers — https://www.pbs.org/video/previewing-the-2026-primary-election-ktnmoc
they want safe streets. ... They want bad people to be incarcerated to protect good people. These are all common sense things.
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Prioritize decarceration, diversion, and reentry over longer sentences
- Reduce incarceration through reform while funding prevention
- Maintain balanced sentencing with targeted safety investments
- Lengthen sentences and increase incarceration for violent crime
- Adopt tough-on-crime policies with maximal incarceration for offenders