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Debate of sorts.....feeling?
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<blockquote data-quote="muttmeister" data-source="post: 242752" data-attributes="member: 135"><p>I read somewhere that in the United States we have a larger per capita prison population than any other country in the civilized world. Somehow, that doesn't seem right.</p><p> </p><p>I definitely think we need to differentiate between non-violent stupid criminals and those who pose a real, bodily threat. For those convicted of non-violent crimes, locking them up and throwing away the key seems like a waste of our money and their possibilities. While we may not ALL be guilty of things that would send us to prison, we probably are all guilty of making some stupid choices that could have gotten us into big trouble. Some of us were lucky enough not to get caught or to have something happen that taught us a lesson and we turned out OK. Labeling somebody with a prison conviction and keeping them incarcerated for a long period of time pretty much insures that they will have little opportunity when they get out and that those who have families will probably end up being supported by the rest of us. I realize that some people will not be rehabilitated but I'm not willing to throw away the chances of those who will in order to make a point to those who won't.</p><p> </p><p>Add to that the fact that a lot of our prison inmates have mental issues and/or are substance abusers. The country I live in (my ideal USA) would not throw those people away without trying to help them.</p><p> </p><p>It seem that if we should have learned anything from what we've been doing it is that locking people up, ignoring them, and then releasing them at a later date does not work. The dollar costs of providing mental health care, rehabilitation programs, and education to inmates, while high, is probably much less than keeping them locked up for years and then turning them loose for a short period of time, only to have them return.</p><p> </p><p>I fully believe that you shouldn't do the crime if you don't want to do the time BUT I also believe in second chances. I don't believe our goal should be to keep non-violent offenders locked up; I believe it should be to do what we need to do to help them see the error of their ways and go on to live a useful and productive life.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="muttmeister, post: 242752, member: 135"] I read somewhere that in the United States we have a larger per capita prison population than any other country in the civilized world. Somehow, that doesn't seem right. I definitely think we need to differentiate between non-violent stupid criminals and those who pose a real, bodily threat. For those convicted of non-violent crimes, locking them up and throwing away the key seems like a waste of our money and their possibilities. While we may not ALL be guilty of things that would send us to prison, we probably are all guilty of making some stupid choices that could have gotten us into big trouble. Some of us were lucky enough not to get caught or to have something happen that taught us a lesson and we turned out OK. Labeling somebody with a prison conviction and keeping them incarcerated for a long period of time pretty much insures that they will have little opportunity when they get out and that those who have families will probably end up being supported by the rest of us. I realize that some people will not be rehabilitated but I'm not willing to throw away the chances of those who will in order to make a point to those who won't. Add to that the fact that a lot of our prison inmates have mental issues and/or are substance abusers. The country I live in (my ideal USA) would not throw those people away without trying to help them. It seem that if we should have learned anything from what we've been doing it is that locking people up, ignoring them, and then releasing them at a later date does not work. The dollar costs of providing mental health care, rehabilitation programs, and education to inmates, while high, is probably much less than keeping them locked up for years and then turning them loose for a short period of time, only to have them return. I fully believe that you shouldn't do the crime if you don't want to do the time BUT I also believe in second chances. I don't believe our goal should be to keep non-violent offenders locked up; I believe it should be to do what we need to do to help them see the error of their ways and go on to live a useful and productive life. [/QUOTE]
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