Too bad there is no rulebook that requires the men and women vying for local, state or federal office to be realistic in campaign speeches. If there were such a rule, one could bet the farm there would be fewer office-seekers and shorter glib orations.

A case in point are candidates who condemn incarceration as a means of punishment for crimes committed against people and pledge to address it if elected. It is awful, they rail, to lock up so many individuals just because they failed to co-exist lawfully or peaceably with others.

Few would disagree with that sentiment. How nice it would be to cut the nation and state’s prison populations by half or lower. If nothing else, it would lighten the financial burden on taxpayers.

In 2020, worldpopulationreview.com reports there were 47,141 inmates in Georgia prisons, ranking the Peach State fourth in the nation in number of prisoners. The headcount reflects a decrease from 2019, when Georgia prisons held 54,816, according to worldpopulationreview.com. Only Texas, California and Florida had more, and in that order. Nationwide, in 2019, the prison rate was 437 per every 1,000 citizens.

It is the taxpayers who get hit in the piggybank not once or twice, but thrice or more when someone runs afoul of the law. In addition to the loss incurred at the hands of criminals, taxpayers must also pay to prosecute — and often to defend — those accused of violating them.

The financial obligation of law-abiding citizens does not end there. Not by a long shot. They must dig deeper into their pockets to pay to care for the criminals who stole from them or harmed them or a loved one. Last we looked, it is costly to house, feed and provide medical care, among other services, to those serving time in prison.

In the 21st century, in a world where people can hitch a ride into space just for the fun of it, one might be inclined to think society could figure out a better way of handling those who find it difficult to live by the rules or treat fellow beings with respect. It hasn’t, though, which leaves us with the metal cages.

Candidates who preach otherwise are reading too many books about magic and magical solutions. For their information, Harry Potter and Hermione will not be casting spells to turn bad into good. They are only fictional characters.