Re: OT - I may be in the minority

Eliyahu wrote:
The theory of general deterrence has also been throughly discredited.
We are already the only western nation whose jails and prisons don't
meet the UN standards for prisons, one of only a few democracies to
retain the death penalty, we have the highest per-capita rate of


I think the other successful countries have stricter enforcement of their laws.


Murderers have the lowest recidivism rate of all crimes. It's
generally a "once in a lifetime" thing brought on by the circumstances
of the crime and isn't likely to be repeated.


I don't think we should be soft on them because they "probably" won't do it again, though.


our prisoners aren't in there for rape or murder. They're in prison for
drug possession, thefts, domestic assaults and similar stuff. . . .


You've just described some of my sisters' ex-husbands and current boyfriends, as well as a few nephews and cousins. I'm all too familiar with the type--and I don't care to associate with them. I hate the fact that they go in and out of jails as if they were motels that provide meals. Jail time obviously isn't much of a deterrent for them.


There's a reason that we're currently
spending far more on prisons than we are on education in the US, and
it's because we think that we'll be safe if we can only lock up enough
people.


At least while they're locked up, they can't break as many laws during the time they're incarcerated.


BTW, what's a "hard-core murderer"?


I'd say that would include anybody who premeditates the act of murder.


You could put all the incarcerated
serial killers into a fairly small room without them being crowded.


I'd bet there's more than that. I don't think they all get caught.


When you work with prisoners on a regular basis as I have, you discover
that the demonized drooling psychopath, eager to commit more violent
crimes, is mostly a creation of the entertainment industry. The
average prisoner isn't much different than the average person on the
outside other than a few bad decisions in his past.


When you have criminals as relatives and significant others of those in your family, you tend to have an opinion of them that is not quite as nice as yours, though. Several of the ones I know (and have known) have made more than just "a few bad decisions in the past."

Karen C.
.

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