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lol even if they are guilty do you think spending time with a bunch of drug dealers in prison is going to make them want to stop dealing or smoking? On top of that they aren't going to get a job with a prison record. People need something different.
I agree with you. More prisons and BRUTALLY HARSH sentences is not the way to solve the problem of crime. Plus, there is that little thing about cruel and unusual punishment.........you'd think all our authoritarian conservative friends would be concerned with the Constitution because they scream about Obama, in their view, doesn't understand the Constitution........but, the Constitution doesn't matter much when it comes to criminals/inmates apparently. They'd probably just like to see a 6 x 5 cell, throw in some dog food once in awhile, make them bathe in a little sink in the cell and never let them out.....who needs exercise to keep your muscles from atrophy?
It's so easy to dehumanize when thinking in the "us" and "them" mode. And of course we all know that "criminals" are not human!
You want to build more prisons, and take a hardliner's stance on crime. Other than your especially blustery rhetoric, this is nothing new from certain areas of our political spectrum.
The US has the largest prison population in the entire world, at least as is documented. China potentially has more, but let's assume we're the highest.
The graph that I posted shows an incredible increase in the number of prisoners after the initiation of the War on Drugs, especially during the 80s, when the crack epidemic hit so many inner cities with devastating force.
The point is that an extremely large number of our immense prison population are non-violent drug offenders. Additionally, the criminalization of drugs itself attracts more crime due to street dealers attempting to corner the market/protect their turf/eliminate opposition, what have you. So our policies on drugs have resulted in an enormous outgrowth of both prisoners and crime.
But let's leave drugs alone for a minute, since that's not even the major issue. You want to make our prisons harsher for individuals inside. What do you know about life in prison? What do you know about recidivism rates? Do you want someone to go into prison for an offense and come out twice as messed up as they were before? You say all these things while pointing out that you don't care about anyone that ends up in prison, which is your own personal issue, but unless you want to lock everyone up forever, the fact that some of these people are going to eventually be released should give you pause.
Structurally, do you recognize the incredible difficulties in running our currently bloated prison system and the issues that would be exacerbated due to the expansion of this system? We are so messed up that we our outsourcing our imprisonment. Does that not strike you? Our privatized prisons are far worse than our public prisons, due to poorly-trained staff and other problems that come about due to the profit-earning (corner-cutting) nature of these organizations.
I really don't know what else to say. If our government decided that we needed to build more prisons and increase the rate of incarceration without drastically changing our justice system, it would, simply put, amount to a form of class warfare. If you take a Libertarian stance then you'll never agree with me, but at least educate yourself on our incarceration policies and trends.
This is exactly the type of dialogue that I hoped to generate. You should know by now that i'm a "chain puller."
But make no mistake. I still hold firm to the belief that you have nothing to worry about if you don't commit a felony. Am I wrong?
But, you make valid points. The system indeed is not perfect. There are lots of things to consider before implementing harsher sentences and harsher conditions. I don't disagree with you. But lets be honest. Should we really care about what's happening in the day to day life of a prisoner? I say only minimally. Do I support outright torture? No. Do I support rape? No. Do I support constant beatings? No. But we're not talking about the cream of the crop here. We're talking the worst of the worst. Those people who can't function in society. Those people are better off in a place of constant tension. They asked for it. They got it.
Now as far as reintroduction into society, that's precisely why I'm in favor of harsher sentences. I prefer that not one single murderer/rapist/child abuser/child molester ever see the light of day again. I have NO sympathy for those people. I could care less what happens to them in prison.
I support reevaluation of arcane laws for minor drug offenders. Mega-dope dealers get no sympathy either.
I'm of the opinion that too many of the considerations that you bring forth equate into the very "footsies" that I was alluding to in the OP. The time for excuses has passed. It's time to take a real stand against those who do no good in society.
Hey, I know! How about this for a solution: since you seem to be such a proponent, why don't you move to South America, China, or the Middle East? Maybe that way you'll get experience first-hand the joys and pitfalls of a real "hard-line" police state (hint: they don't really buy into that whole "Constitution" thing over there, and they're not so concerned with your "rights"). In the mean time, we'll stay over here and enjoy our Miranda Rights. Have fun!
Miranda Rights? We're talking prison in this thread.
Miranda Rights? We're talking prison in this thread.
Hmmmm, let's see. How is the criminal justice system connected to the prison system?
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