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Don't the statistics for USofA's prison population prove without a doubt that we're doing something very wrong in this country?
I'm not saying violent crime should be without punishment.
But we've got a serious problem in this country and just throwing more people in prison for longer periods of time isn't fixing anything.
I agree for the most part. A lot of the racial disparity and general over crowding is simply the useless war on drugs. A complete waist of time, effort and money best used someplace else.
I prefer solutions to punishments alone with the caveat that punishment can be a part of the solution.Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
View attachment 67124648
I'd say we need both.
Punishment for the guy on the left.
A solution for the guy on the right.
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
actually that bit is inaccurate. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, massive amounts stolen even if its 10 dollars per person from a million people (meaning no one was seriously harmed) is going to result in a huge "offense level" (like 35 points or so) leading to 10+ years in federal prison (and fraud is accompanied by all sorts of other charges such as "using a communication device to facilitate a conspiracy" etc).
The second guy's sentence (which was not explained) usually results from one or two extras
1) recidivist enhancements
2) MANDATORY consecutive enhancements (ie time for the crime PLUS extra time for the enhancement) of using a weapon in the commission of a crime (thus making it a CRIME OF VIOLENCE)
NEW YORK -- The Denver owner of a hedge fund was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison after he admitted making up to $2.5 million by trading on insider information he got from a longtime friend. U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson also ordered 35-year-old Drew "Bo" Brownstein to serve six months of home confinement and to perform 500 hours of community service. He fined him $7,500 and signed an order requiring him to forfeit $2.4 million in illegal profits.
Allen was 30 years old in 1970 when he walked into the unlocked home of an 87-year-old woman near Benson, N.C., and took her 19-inch Motorola. He hid the $140 TV in the woods, but never watched it. Police followed his footprints and quickly arrested him at his labor camp...By then, he had a rap sheet that included burglaries and a violent assault....Under the law of the day, a jury sentenced him to life in prison for second-degree burglary -- a crime that today would carry a maximum punishment of three years.
Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
There are certainly things to be wary of. The real problem is as you say, things only get tacked on; nothing is ever removed. As a result you end up with laws and lists for everything. The United States has one of the highest incarceration rate of the industrialized world. Actually, I just looked this up in Wikipedia….highest in the world. Seriously, think about that! Russia and China CANNOT COMPARE to our incarceration rate. WTF is up with that?
Are Americans really that much more inclined to commit crimes? Are we naturally that much harder to control than the rest of the entire world? Do we inherently fight back more than anyone else on the planet? Or is our government more aggressive than all others in making and enforcing law? Land of the free, yes? Would you imagine Land of the Free, the Shining City on the Hill, the example to all what freedom and democracy can look like to have the highest incarceration rate IN THE WORLD!!??
Do we need more laws? Or do we just need better laws? Laws in which the government is actually restrained, constrained to the edicts of the constitution and forced to uphold our rights and recognize our humanity. Here’s a scary thought, how many laws did you break on your way to work this morning? Sometimes people don’t even know that they’re breaking laws because of the sheer number of laws on the books. You all broke some laws going in, you’ll all break some laws going home. You’re merely at the behest of government and whether or not they decide to **** with you that day.
Land of the Free? At one time yes, not anymore. The Shining City is now tarnished. Thank you Republocrats for stealing the Republic out from underneath us.
Restorative justice works. Compared with punitive systems, recidivism is lower, and upon released, criminals are more able to enter the workforce and become productive citizens. It's tried. It's true. And it works. Once we stop wanting to hurt people and take revenge on them, and starting helping people who are, quite often, in the position they are as a result of violence at home as kids, and extreme poverty, then we can rehabilitate these people. Think about it. Less crime, more productive people in the workforce, more tax dollars. What's not to like? Oh yeah, it's more expensive and less profitable for the private prison companies...
Remember that whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" thing? Apply that to thieves, drug dealers, and gang members, and they can become law abiding citizens.
Restorative justice works. Compared with punitive systems, recidivism is lower, and upon released, criminals are more able to enter the workforce and become productive citizens. It's tried. It's true. And it works.
Remember that whole "hate the sin, love the sinner" thing? Apply that to thieves, drug dealers, and gang members, and they can become law abiding citizens.
I've always been for prevention, and putting more money into education, instead of spending it on prisons (the Kitzhaber model). But, prevention stats are always in the future, and costly to prove at the time. They save money in the long run, and are the right thing to do. Politicians pass the federal laws (which result in sentencing) as a reaction, and to show the public that they are doing something.
38 views and several hours later and no one has an opinion on this? No votes? Is my question really that hard to answer?
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