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Maybe we should use the system they have in Singapore........"caning" that will leave an impression on your back and something NOT to look forward to again.
Most countries do not have a Jail system like the US so they must be doing something right.
People who end up in prison for non-violent offenses usually fit into categories. Some committed drug offenses during the past and were charged in federal court. For a long time, mandatory sentencing guidelines guaranteed many of these offenders long years of incarceration even if they had a totally clean criminal record before they committed the crime. .
Some are repeat drunk drivers who have caused accidents involving injury to others. I'd be in favor of keeping them out of prison if there were someway to guarantee they never drove a motor vehicle again. .
DUI with injury is considered a violent crime, in my opinion a drunk driver who harms or kills someone has shown their disregard for the safety of others and deserves to serve at least some time in prison or jail.
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Originally Posted by markg91359
embezzlement. bank robber sex criminal who is 35 years old and convinces a 14 year old girl to have sex with him? burglar who burglarizes businesses at night?
Sorry to have abbreviated that so much, but basically sex crimes and any form of robbery ARE violent felonies. Burglaries unless they are committed with force (in which case they are a robbery) are not violent crimes, neither is embezzlement. We have a right to be afraid of people who commit violent crimes and we should expect them to be kept away from society until such time that we can be reasonably assured that they are no longer a danger to the public. Non-violent crimes may well be managed by civil penalties or some combination of that with ankle monitoring or work release programs.
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Originally Posted by markg91359
Remember though, that many such offenders who are in prison are there because they failed to cooperate when the court offered them the alternative of probation and treatment outside of a correctional facility.
Do you mean like being late to your parole appointment because you didn't have transportation to get there? Or being violated for being homeless when you can't find a place to live? For the most part, probation and parole are just set-ups for failure, in most cases no support or services are offered just a whole lot of rules, some of which are absurd. More people recidivate due to parole violations (around 60-70%) than those committing a new offense while on parole (around 20-25%)
Watched a documentary last night called Toe Tag Parole, meaning that the only way you get out it death. This would be California state penal for people who MIGHT have gotten death sentence, but did not.
Sad stories and wasted lives, but to a man, they almost all admit they did wrong. they don't like their sentence, but who would?
Watched a documentary last night called Toe Tag Parole, meaning that the only way you get out it death. This would be California state penal for people who MIGHT have gotten death sentence, but did not.
Sad stories and wasted lives, but to a man, they almost all admit they did wrong. they don't like their sentence, but who would?
The only thing America is number one in today is prisons. America has more people locked up and any other country in the world. America being America turned prisons into a profitable investment but to maximize the potential all the cells need to be occupied with as many inmates as possible. Needless to say many innocent people and those with minor offenses go to jail because it is profitable.
65% are there for dope. Another 10% did what they did to GET dope or about dope debts, "turf', etc, cause dope costs 100x what it would cost if it's legal. Portugal has NO dope laws, hasn't had any for a decade and they are ok. We were ok before the 1914 dope laws, too. another 5% of prisoners are in prison for gambing, prostitution, guns, etc, no harm done to anyone. Stop locking them up and you'll have 4x as much room for the people who DO steal or harm others.
I don't think it's about appreciating your freedom as much as it is about throwing people back into the same environment they were arrested in without any skills, housing or job placement and somehow expecting them to magically reintegrate themselves into society. How long could anyone make it if they were released from prison with nothing? Many of these guys don't have family they can live with and parole doesn't provide help with housing. Most apartment complexes won't rent to felons, public housing won't accept them. Most employers, even temp agencies now screen for felony convictions. If I were released from prison under those conditions I'm not sure how long I would last.
I don't think anyone should be released from prison without spending their last year in a pre-release program where they can get job training and placement and temporary assistance with housing. Maybe if we did that they would at least have a fighting chance.
Perhaps. But, also never forget, who put themselves in this place in to begin with? When they say, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" did not mean literally....the "time" is endless in most felony convictions.....It changes lives.....I have a brother who committed a felony at age 19....almost 40 years ago...it has haunted him all his life. Our family's lives too. Now, I have a son who is a prison guard....the ironies are not unique. No matter, BOTH would tell you it's not worth it and the folks that are in it usually deserve to be so.
He raised two great kids and is still married but, that stigma has never been shaken. Most forgot about it but, some still like to toss it in your face. It was drug related, first offense and the prosecutor shared an office with his attorney. Something you can't do any longer due to the conflict. He gave the police no resistance. He admitted to the crime and did not spend extraordinary public resources. A grand jury later and voila, he was in prison for 15 months. Probation for 5 years, and a lifetime of shame and blatant disregard by most.
Was it worth it? No. And he would be the first to tell you that. Unlike most, he was industrious and learned a trade and did fairly well. He did not have a support system when he got out to the extent in which you speak. He did have some friends though that kept him going. He's doing fine now. It's a real biotch having a record. His and my advice? Don't acquire one to begin with. Nuff' said.
I'm contrasting your statistics, 2sleepy, with those of the National Institute of Justice:
"Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found high rates of recidivism among released prisoners. One study tracked 404,638 prisoners in 30 states after their release from prison in 2005.[1] The researchers found that:
Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year.
Property offenders were the most likely to be rearrested, with 82.1 percent of released property offenders arrested for a new crime compared with 76.9 percent of drug offenders, 73.6 percent of public order offenders and 71.3 percent of violent offenders."
We should have more up-to-date statistics available but Government ones seem increasingly difficult to locate. I'm wondering what twenty year period you are talking about as I find it difficult to believe that CA would vary so markedly from national statistics.
To be fair this statement absolutely applies to rehab also. Rehab tends not to work unless the person REALLY wants to be there.
I'm not even necessarily against them going to prison (at least for harder stuff, and if they are addicted). But we should reform prisons to be less stigmatized and more efficient. We can send all criminals to a 'rehab' facility which we can just call a correctional facility. These facilities could have a high security area and a low security area, and who goes where can depend on offense and behavior, but both work to improve bad behavior. That way we can reduce recidivism and address addiction.
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Originally Posted by NCN
Anyone dealing in dope is hurting everyone in our society. Keep them in prison and throw away the key. I have zero tolerance for anything to do with drugs including alcohol. Both should be banned. The president thinks everyone did them but my husband and I have never had either. I know a lot of people who never did mind-alternating drugs. That's where most of the other crimes start. I am for putting them in prison before the robbing and murdering start. Once drugs get hold of you, your life is basically over.
All I heard is 'I've never done them so everyone who does should be jail because I'm against it.'
Try and remember that you aren't that important. You're opinion can be heard, and I truly do understand where you're coming from, especially in regards to alcohol. I mean, if we add up the number of people killed due to marijuana use from the past several decades, we have about how many people are killed as a result of alcohol consumption in a week. But really, in terms of drugs, marijuana is the least of our problems.
And I know the 'gateway' drug argument, but it's absolutely worthless from an intellectual standpoint. Plenty of people smoke pot and that's it. Maybe move on to psychedelics, which are still less dangerous than alcohol.
Addiction is a part our culture. We are heavily medicated and we romanticize alcohol; we used to do this with tobacco. Indeed, pot is romanticized in a way, but in a very different way and really only in specific subcultures. Society at large views marijuana quite a bit differently than alcohol, though misinformation and blatant lies for political reasons can only hold up to reality for so long. We're realizing that many of the drugs we're banning are actually more safe than many of the drugs that are accessible.
i believe drug dealers should get a minimum of 25 years, even for an ounce of weed, i think if a person overdose of your drugs, you should get the dead penatly. I would go has far as caught smoking weed a minimum of ten years. yes our prison have a lot of people in them, that just mean they are doing a damn good job.
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