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cyberdude611 -> RE: Paris Hilton Released After Just 3 Days in Jail (6/7/2007 11:25:35 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: subfever
quote:
ORIGINAL: mistoferin
Don't know...but why should her celebrity status matter at all?
Well... I find myself wondering why this case is causing such a feeding frenzy with the press and the legions of "outraged' citizens.
I can't recall any similar case where a celebrity has done time.
So why should this case be any different?
Martha Stewart served some time in prison.
I have taken criminal justice courses in college, I've visited jails and prisons during my studies, and my cousin is even a criminal psychologist that works for the prison system. So I have a pretty good idea how the system works. In my opinion, low-level, non-violent crimes (especially when there is no victim) should not have jail or prison terms. Crimes like drug possession and prostitution are crimes that really only harm the person doing it. And prison terms won't fix that person. We've been throwing drug abusers in jail for how many decades now...has it helped? People with a drug problem need help, not punishment. And prostitution? This is the world's oldest profession. Jail ain't going to solve that either. And in my opinion shouldnt even be illegal anyway.
I think the sentence Paris got was a bit harsh and she got a raw deal.
Yes, I know there are people (including Mothers Against Drunk Driving) screaming at me right now saying..."but Paris could have hurt someone." Yes... She could have...but she didn't. If she did, then more charges would be added like manslaughter or even 2nd degree murder. You don't punish someone because they could have done something worse. That's not how our system works in America.
In my area at least, I hear all the time of judges not throwing people in jail for probation violations. They could...but they don't. And this is because overcrowding is too big of a problem. Build more jails? Easier said than done... To build a jail, you need money. Not only to build the jail, but to operate it and maintain it. Then you have to hire guards. In California, prison guards each make at least $70,000 a year. So to build a jail, the city or state either has to raise taxes or cut programs. So then the whole debate becomes political. So suddenly you have more jail space. Do you think it will be unused? Nope. Suddenly now you need more police and more judges. More inmates means more court hearings. Now your court house is too small. It is one expense after another. So building a prison or a jail is VERY expensive. And when you balloon one part of the criminal justice system....it creates a domino effect. You have to balloon everything else. And that is why jails are not built very often. And it is why they are overcrowded.
This is why I think those low-level, non-violent, victimless crimes should not carry a jail sentence.
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