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We spend too much money on prisons, we don't need to jail more people. .
Prisons are almost the only growth industry we have, and shares in prison stocks are traded on Wall Street. There is an economic incentive to increase the number of people whose day to day behavior can be criminalized by some pretext or other. You don't want the government to bail out a failing prison industry with taxpayer money, do you?
Well, we do one other thing by criminalizing victimless behavior (prostitution is just one example.) The other thing we do is raise the price. That is, the risk of incarceration actually means that fewer people are willing to become prostitutes, and fewer customers are willing to shoulder the risk. Since in this case, as is the case for most (if not all) victimless crimes, the demand outstrips the supply causing prices to rise.
So, all we have accomplished is: Raising prices, pushing the behavior "underground" and increasing the risk to health and of incarceration. We already have enough health risks--we don't need more. We spend too much money on prisons, we don't need to jail more people. We actually need to be able to reduce the demands on our criminal justice system and to increase taxes. We could do this by legalizing prostitution, gambling, marijuana, etc and taxing them a lot. We did this with alcohol, and true it didn't solve all the problems, but we sure have a better way to control the problems than during the prohibition era.
Well said. I can't, for the life of me, see why people don't get this.
^^Take the case of alcohol. During prohibition booze cost way more than what it does now. You had a huge underground economy that flourished, and was riddled with violence. Today, you still have a small underground booze thing going on, but it is so small that you never hear the type of violence that went on during the 30's and 40's. And, try buying booze from a bootleg spot. The same pint of hooch you buy from a regular liquor store for $6.99 you will buy from the bootlegger for $25.00. I know this for a fact. Same economics apply to prostitution and drugs.
Prisons are almost the only growth industry we have, and shares in prison stocks are traded on Wall Street. There is an economic incentive to increase the number of people whose day to day behavior can be criminalized by some pretext or other. You don't want the government to bail out a failing prison industry with taxpayer money, do you?
There are other growth industries. Moreover, the prison industry has very little input to state legislatures regarding thge creation, or maintenance of crimiunal statutes regarding victimless "crimes."
Well, we do one other thing by criminalizing victimless behavior (prostitution is just one example.) The other thing we do is raise the price. That is, the risk of incarceration actually means that fewer people are willing to become prostitutes, and fewer customers are willing to shoulder the risk. Since in this case, as is the case for most (if not all) victimless crimes, the demand outstrips the supply causing prices to rise.
So, all we have accomplished is: Raising prices, pushing the behavior "underground" and increasing the risk to health and of incarceration. We already have enough health risks--we don't need more. We spend too much money on prisons, we don't need to jail more people. We actually need to be able to reduce the demands on our criminal justice system and to increase taxes. We could do this by legalizing prostitution, gambling, marijuana, etc and taxing them a lot. We did this with alcohol, and true it didn't solve all the problems, but we sure have a better way to control the problems than during the prohibition era.
Well, I must admit, rising the price does seem like a bad idea, and a tad extreme.
^^Take the case of alcohol. During prohibition booze cost way more than what it does now. You had a huge underground economy that flourished, and was riddled with violence. Today, you still have a small underground booze thing going on, but it is so small that you never hear the type of violence that went on during the 30's and 40's. And, try buying booze from a bootleg spot. The same pint of hooch you buy from a regular liquor store for $6.99 you will buy from the bootlegger for $25.00. I know this for a fact. Same economics apply to prostitution and drugs.
There are Native villages in Southwest Alaska that have banned alcohol, for good reason, of course. It isn't deregatory nor racist to point out the evil booze is to our 1st Nations community across North America.
According to the show "Alaska State Troppers" (available on hulu.com) a fifth of whiskey can go for hundreds of dollars.
Excluding the above, where there is a real problem, so-called "Morality Laws" like te Prohibition of the past, the prohibition of today on pot, prostitution, the old anti-abortion laws, etc. merely drive those concerns underground.
I wonder how many people have become addicted to purchased sex, but cannot, dare not, find help since prostitution is an underground sub-culture and considered so shameful by a portion of US citizens?
Well said. I can't, for the life of me, see why people don't get this.
Because those who oppose legalization of this (or drugs, or keeping abortions a legal choice) are control freaks with no real interest in "public safety".
"It is necessary to vilify any one that does not agree with my view on a wide variety of topics. If I can't change their way of thinking to mine, then will try to embarrass or shame them. How dare they not agree with me. I'm smart, and never make mistakes." from an old gum wrapper.
"It is necessary to vilify any one that does not agree with my view on a wide variety of topics. If I can't change their way of thinking to mine, then will try to embarrass or shame them. How dare they not agree with me. I'm smart, and never make mistakes." from an old gum wrapper.
First of all, ther are plenty of sick a**holes in this country who want a certain kind of prostitute.. if you get my drift, and there is no doubt in my mind that even if prostitution was made legal, that there would still be these kinds of happenings. Adult prostitutes in comparison to child prostitution is ....uncomparable! The fact is, that these men who knowingly have sex with minors who are, consequently pimped out, are not doing the same with adult women/men, well because they don't want to have sex with adult women/men. It is sad and very sick, but it is our nation. Even if this was made legal, there would still be underage pimping/prostitution. The fact is, there are very few women who pimp themselves because they like it. They do it for an addiction or because they are forced to. Regulations will most likely have very little effect if ay at all. I myself, obvioulsy, am a women, and I understand that women should have the right to do whatever they wish with their own body. But I would definately vote a HELL no to this if I were a congresswoman while a bill like this worked itself in.
On the contrary, I believe woman have a choice for abortion, and I believe there is nothing wrong with legalizing pot. If it were legal, I would be smoking a blunt as-we-speak.
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