well, it helped a lot of politicians get elected, and it has sure made a pile of money for people who own/operate private prisons. Not to mention justifying who know how much in salaries for various police forces, and the business which supply said forces with various equipment, training, supplies... heck, even Palentir and Google are making money off of it.

Lots of vested interests in continued criminalization of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.