How do you know if a law/policy is “working?”

Question

I have no legal experience or knowledge. When the laws are changed, how do lawmakers assess their consequences and effects? Are there special teams that are supposed to take data that measures whether or not a certain policy or law is working?

For example, Oregon just decriminalized drugs. How will we know if it is saving the government money, decreasing BIPOC incarceration, and increasing the resources allocated to addiction recovery centers as proposed? How will we know if drug use is increasing or decreasing as a result?

People always talk about holding legislators accountable. How do you actually do this? What is the time frame for measuring the effects of a policy change?

In: Other

Answer 1

We don’t. Different politicians make statements depending on their bias .

For instance, crime dropped in America in the 21st century but no one knows why. More gun control or less gun control fixed things.