Citing incarceration practices that have had “relatively little to do’’ with a drop in crime, and a prison population that overwhelmingly resembles him, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins made his feelings known on the country’s decades old war on drugs Tuesday.

“I think the war on drugs was a flaming, dare I say joke, frankly,’’ he said, according to a State House News Service report on The Berkshire Eagle. Tompkins, speaking at a panel discussion hosted by MassINC and The Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, added, “By putting all of these folks into jail with the idea that they’re going to get the big kingpins, it’s just done a disservice to our nation.’’


According to the report, Tompkins, who oversees a facility that deals with offenders and suspects from the Boston area, suggested that many in his facility would be better served by mental health or substance abuse programs. He added that many of them had fifth or sixth grade math and reading educations.

Read the full report at The Berkshire Eagle.

The Aaron Hernandez murder trial in pictures