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<blockquote data-quote="skeeter" data-source="post: 485161" data-attributes="member: 439"><p>It's all about money.</p><p></p><p>There is really one reason to put someone in jail now, and that's to protect the rest of society. There is no rehabilitation anymore, most areas don't have the money for it. There is no punishment, most could care less if they are in jail or not (given a choice of 5 years community control or 6 months jail - most will opt for the 6 months jail even though it will hurt them down the road for things like jobs, loans, etc.). There definitely is no deterrent factor involved. Honestly, if someone is not a danger to society, they really don't need to be in jail.</p><p></p><p>A few years ago, we were asked by one of the county commissioners to work on an issue that was put up to a vote. Yes, it would have built another jail. But is also had many, many other items such as recidivism programs, juvenile prevention programs, job training and certification programs, mental health programs, etc. It was going to be a half percent sales tax for 7 years, then a quarter percent for 8 years, and it could not be extended.</p><p>It became know as the "jail tax" and was voted down. At the same time, we lost 800 beds due to a "temporary" jail that had been run for over 50 years finally being shut down. We also no longer have money to send folks to other county jails. We have had to let go of over 150 deputies, so programs such as house arrest with monitoring is basically a bust - there's no one to monitor and enforce. Plus no way to pay for the bracelets and phone lines required.</p><p></p><p>25% of our jail population is mentally handicapped and really don't need jail - they need HELP. We have one rehab facility, and you get one time to go there - after that it's jail. We have a handful of halfway houses (the NIMBY's constantly complain about those, too).</p><p></p><p>Our last coroner was a wonderful speaker, and we attended a talk he gave where he stated he had been keeping stats on all those who had convicted of murder since he took the position. 95% of them had not passed their 4th grade proficiency tests, and read at about that level. Their math was even lower. They basically decided their "path" when they were 10 years old! He really worked hard to get people to understand how education (or a lack of it) leads to hard criminals. He's now president of one of the community colleges in the area.</p><p></p><p>As you can tell, between this and the jury duty thread, I could go on and on about this. We do our part by being members of Court Watch and Citizens on Patrol and Problem Oriented Policing. We try to not let the thugs take over our neighborhood, at the same time we try to get help for those that need it. But it all comes down to money, and society doesn't see mental health, juvenile crime, rehabilitation or recidivism as being worthy of spending money on. They'd rather build sports stadiums (we pay for THOSE in both sale tax and property taxes). They'd rather complain about what a teacher is paid than make sure all kids have a chance at a quality education. Our values are so totally screwed up it ticks me off.</p><p></p><p>I'll shut up now.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="skeeter, post: 485161, member: 439"] It's all about money. There is really one reason to put someone in jail now, and that's to protect the rest of society. There is no rehabilitation anymore, most areas don't have the money for it. There is no punishment, most could care less if they are in jail or not (given a choice of 5 years community control or 6 months jail - most will opt for the 6 months jail even though it will hurt them down the road for things like jobs, loans, etc.). There definitely is no deterrent factor involved. Honestly, if someone is not a danger to society, they really don't need to be in jail. A few years ago, we were asked by one of the county commissioners to work on an issue that was put up to a vote. Yes, it would have built another jail. But is also had many, many other items such as recidivism programs, juvenile prevention programs, job training and certification programs, mental health programs, etc. It was going to be a half percent sales tax for 7 years, then a quarter percent for 8 years, and it could not be extended. It became know as the "jail tax" and was voted down. At the same time, we lost 800 beds due to a "temporary" jail that had been run for over 50 years finally being shut down. We also no longer have money to send folks to other county jails. We have had to let go of over 150 deputies, so programs such as house arrest with monitoring is basically a bust - there's no one to monitor and enforce. Plus no way to pay for the bracelets and phone lines required. 25% of our jail population is mentally handicapped and really don't need jail - they need HELP. We have one rehab facility, and you get one time to go there - after that it's jail. We have a handful of halfway houses (the NIMBY's constantly complain about those, too). Our last coroner was a wonderful speaker, and we attended a talk he gave where he stated he had been keeping stats on all those who had convicted of murder since he took the position. 95% of them had not passed their 4th grade proficiency tests, and read at about that level. Their math was even lower. They basically decided their "path" when they were 10 years old! He really worked hard to get people to understand how education (or a lack of it) leads to hard criminals. He's now president of one of the community colleges in the area. As you can tell, between this and the jury duty thread, I could go on and on about this. We do our part by being members of Court Watch and Citizens on Patrol and Problem Oriented Policing. We try to not let the thugs take over our neighborhood, at the same time we try to get help for those that need it. But it all comes down to money, and society doesn't see mental health, juvenile crime, rehabilitation or recidivism as being worthy of spending money on. They'd rather build sports stadiums (we pay for THOSE in both sale tax and property taxes). They'd rather complain about what a teacher is paid than make sure all kids have a chance at a quality education. Our values are so totally screwed up it ticks me off. I'll shut up now. [/QUOTE]
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