This article by Glen Greenwald in Salon.com, about the “preposterous” fear, in the words of George Will, that imprisoning terrorists makes up less safe, is a must read. Here’s a short excerpt:
The “debate” over all the bad and scary things that will happen if Obama closes Guantanamo and we then incarcerate those detainees in American prisons is so painfully stupid even by the standards of our political discourse that it’s hard to put into words, and it also perfectly illustrates the steps that typically lead to America’s National Security policies:
(1) Right-wing super-tough-guy warriors project some frightened, adolescent, neurotic fantasy onto the world — either because they are really petrified by it or because they want others to be (“Putting Muslim Terrorists in our prisons will make us Unsafe! — Keep them away from me, please!!!”);
(2) Rather than scoff at the inane fear-mongering or point out simple facts to reveal its idiocy, Democratic “leaders” such as Harry Reid echo the right-wing fears in order to prove how Serious and Tough they are — in our political debates, the more frightened one is, the more Serious and Tough one is — and/or because they are genuinely frightened of being called mean names by Sean Hannity (“Harry Reid isn’t as scared of this as I am, which shows that he’s weak”);
(3) “Journalists” who are capable of nothing other than mindlessly reciting what they hear then write articles depicting the Right’s frightened neurosis as a Serious argument, and then overnight, a consensus emerges: Democrats are in big trouble politically unless they show that they, too, are as deeply frightened as the Right is.
Grave Error 
This is another example of lack of research by a media individual.
The facts of the matter here are quite simple:
1. With the detainees off of American soil, completely isolated on Guantanamo and Gitmo, they are not privvy to the socialist, “special butterfly” anti-justice cretins that rectally violate our judicial system on a daily basis.
2. Our worst criminals incarcertated in this country ~ get contract killings, rapes, drug deals accomplished regardless their supposed “confinement”.
3. It is a known fact that between our weak, pathetic, abject, flaccid attempt at giving the perception of “justice” in this country ~ any criminal in a prison can still commit crimes regardless. Ask any C.O. at any Max/SuperMax prison, anywhere inside the U.S. ~ they spend enormous manhours weekly trying to keep up with all the crimes the convicts are committing while in prison.
4.) This issue has less to do with politics than facts. The facts are there ~ yet no one cares to illuminate the discussion with facts ~ then one of the unique and special butterflies might have to admit they are wrong. Jebus save us from our egos, and the egos of our unrepresentative Representative prostiticians.
Summation of this article: Epic Media Fail.