ANSWERS: 5
-
Chanda, you have strong notions - I enjoyed your 'It seems to me' sentence, even though you probably meant it to be taken seriously - as indeed I do. But there is an amusing streak in it too. When 'prison system' is mentioned my first thought is directed to the Innocence Project and the over 200 convicts exonerated by (specifically) DNA evidence - and those who have yet to, or will never, have their true innocence proved. The other side of the coin - yes, fines and imprisonment seems a threadbare way of putting things right for the victims. Since no action can undo a crime, maybe the court should award a sensible recompense fine against the perpetrator. He would work in prison to pay off the amount to the victim or victim's family, and perhaps in addition pay for his own keep while in prison. And he/she would not get out until it was all paid off. Just an idea.
-
We can improve the prison system by letting the majority of prisoners charged with victim-less crimes, like possession of drugs out. 40% of the prison population is made up of these people. We have a fifth of the worlds population but house 25% of the worlds prisoners. Do you sense that there is a problem?
-
There are coal mines and sand and gravel pits all over the USA where prisoners could be put to work digging and carrying and getting fed only if they meet their quota. This isn't cruel or unusual; it's what the Third World economy is like. It probably couldn't be made profitable, unless you consider the deterrent effect--nobody who's ever been in a place like that would ever risk going back.
-
I would like to see some sort of law or set of laws that make it so when a person breaks a law and violates the society they live in, they automatically loose certain civil rights that will only be for those who do not violate the society ... of course they may keep the minimum human rights, but nothing beyond the minimum ... ... for example, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet, and visits by anyone other than their lawyer, are not human rights, they are a part of society that should not be given to those who violate their society. I also feel that as part of a criminal's sentence, the exact value of their crime should be calculated and they should be made to work off that amount with some sort of hard labour community service.
-
I guess the problem I see with the question is that most people have condemned these people far more than the judicial system. Lots of people think that every inmate in prison ought to be "busting rocks", which isn't true. You don't beat a dog to make it better, you TRAIN the dog to make it better. So many people give up on inmates, forgetting that a large portion are there for a short time, and returing back to society. What you put IN an person while in prison is what you will get out of him when he gets out. To me, education is a strong help, in that it gives the inmate hope and a reason to change. If you are not concerned about how prisoners are treated when they are in...why would they care about you when they are released?
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

by 