Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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People who know me know I am for the death penalty, as well as making anything legal that the People want. Of course certain exceptions apply. I against the whole notion of prisons, but lack of alternative makes them a necessity. This guy did about twenty years for seriously injuring someone he was robbing. To say the least he probably won't do it again.
In a more recent thread I said something like we should make the prisons alot harder to cope with, and reduce the time of the sentences. To clarify, prisoners would be under constant surveillence, and there would be labor involved, but as they give someone ten years now, they could give them like two. In other words make the deterrent stronger, but apply it more sparingly. Make it so they REALLY do not want to go back.
My favorite psychopath told me many things, and they paralell thing I have heard elsewhere. I listen carefully because I know, there but for the grace of Whoever, I could have been there easily.
So there would be no tatoo parlors, no weed stores, wine stores and all that. This dude almost would like to go back, but that is not in the cards. First of all he had money when he went in, now he a just getting by. To top it off something happened and he won a forty thousand dollar lawsuit against the institution. Can't count on that happening again. At this stage of the game he would rather work.
At any rate, I asked him if they had given him the option to go to a super prison, I mean like I said, practically no amenities or anything. No drugs, no alcohol, no slipping the gaurd a hundred or so for some "special priveledges", noithing of the sort. Watched as if on suicde watch, but only for say two years instead of twenty. Would you go for it ?
For most people in good health, the shorter option would probably be preferable, it simply takes less time. You can't replace time. And time incarcerating anyone costs money. If we are not going to reform them, and I mean actively and effectively, why waste all that money ?
For minor offenders, why even put them in city jails ? Offer them a public caning instead. It's over very quickly and you get back to your life. Sure it hurts, IT'S SUPPOSED TO ! But if you can manage it, you'll be at work on Monday. When you take large chunks of a person's time, it hurts his dependents, and that was never the intent I would hope. What's more, after taking a large slice of someone's time, anyone on the outside that would constitute a support system and help one become a [relatively] normal member of society may have moved away or died off. What sense is there in that ?
So we continue to generate these people, and figuratively put a revolving door on the prison. With work so hard to come by, my psychopath told me that one day he was standing in front of a bank. His thoughts at the moment were it's a win win. If I get away with it fine, if they bust me I automatically have a place to stay, all my bills paid and fed every day.
It is starting to seem to me that the government hates thieves because they don't want the competition. Over the years I have heard from people in and from other countries. They don't seem to be as avidly hunting smugglers as here in the US. Sure they catch one now and then, but here they try to make it as hard as possible. Maybe the attitude across the pond is more like "At least he ain't stealing or killing". Of course logic like that doesn't fly here.
Face it, you go to a drug dealer, pay him the money and get your drugs. Go hiome and do the drugs. Don't hurt anyone, don't overdo, just enjoy yourself. Who has been harmed ? The dealer did not steal, you simply paid. You didn't give any of the shit to kids, you didn't break anything, especially anything that wasn't your's. So if there is no harm how can there be a crime ?
Cleaning up this mess we are going to have to reconsider the base thinking of this whole problem. As much as people may argue against corporal punishment, I think in the long run it would be better. You take a big chumk of a Man;s time on this Earth, that should be thought out well. Al Capone, OK he was nasty, but he died in prison. What if some twenty year old kid, say your kids or nephew or niece or something, got twenty years for some bullshit. That time cannot be replaced.
In the case of my psychopath, he has no qualms about it, but he did almost kill someone. He regrets it as well as regretting getting caught. The loot was not worth it. The guy did nothing to him. He does actually regret it. Most people only regret getting caught. Even the judge said it would have been better if he had actually killed him, because he is maimed. At least when you are dead you have no problems.
The only deterrent with the way it is done now for my psycho, is because of age. Another twenty would be no good. Whatever role his conscience plays is really unknown unless he is in a similar circumstance. If it had been a simple bout of fisticuffs and run away it would have been alot better, but he has this big knife. I think actually the big knife was one of the items he was stealing. But is that the idea ? To make them old enough to not want to do that again ?
I don't think that's a very good plan. I know this guy pretty well. when he has a job he never gives a thought to lifting anything. He doesn't take, he gives. I have let him stay here, and be in my house alone, and have never had a problem. If he has paid his "debt to society" isn't he entitled to the rest of his life ?
Now there are some jobs he can't get because of his record. He can't pack iron, or work at certain places. To me that seems like a bill of allainder, which is specificlly prohibited by the Constitution. He is a hard worker, enegetic and smart. I had a new step put in front of the house recently. Aniother guy stepped in it when it was wet. It cost me to have it fixed. Mr. Psycho shows up, I just yell "It's open". He walks in and I say "Shit, did you step in the new concrete ?". He looked at me like I was some kind of a nut and says "Of course not, I see a new step, I jump over it". The guy who DID step in it had actually helped DO IT !
Yes I would hire this guy.
But for what ? That is the biggie. There are no jobs, these people in prison might as well stay there now, really. If you can't get a job what are you going to do to survive ? This is a big issue, for everyone. How many of us can say that we won't resort to whatever means necessary to survive ?
This was partly inspired by SBFY's thread. It is such a different slant I didn't want to fuck it into there. The point here is, does anyone have any ideas ? I think right now making prison alot more difficult and shortening the sentences would be a good thing. First time offenders would definitely not want to go back. And get rid of most of the drug laws. Fukit, people would get high on gasoline if they could. I have known people who sniffed glue, in fact my sinister did for a time. She stopped before any drain bamage occurred, well at least we think :-) In fact I have heard of people sniffing gasoline. And freon, in fact I tried freon and just didn't really like it. I have also done nitrous oxide. It was fun but not something to write home about.
And that is another whole thing, about addiction. I would not steal for the one substance I use that is illegal - weed. I would not steal for beer or cigarettes either. But people do. What makes them do that I simply do not understand. For food I can understand. I figure there is what is called an unaddictable personality. I think I have one. At my three day thing for the DUI in 2004, "Are you going to be OK not drinking for three days ?". Hell I did thirty and even without cigarettes I was fine. That shouold have been a lesson to me, but I lit up when I got out. Now at six bucks a pack I wish I hadn't. But they are talking about withdrawal and all this shit, I have never had that problem.
I can't really speak to that point really. People will kill their loved ones for their favorite intoxicant. Now get this, if they do so, we don't need a prison for them, just a firing squad. If they will do that I don't want them on my planet. Disagree all you want but I still say, being crazy is no defense. In fact about 25 years ago the supreme court ruled that drinking was willful behavior and therefore cannot be used as a defense. A crazy person can cross a street and not run out in front of a bus, therefore should be able to reason that if they take an axe to their neighbor's head they will die, and therefore won't do it.
Give up all that brainwashing and bullshit.; Let's get down to brass tacks. What will solve the problem ?
Any ideas ? (whatever you do, PLEASE try not to turn this into a political game).
T
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I didn't get an answer (from an ex-con) - 
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). She was really nice to me. I told her I wanted to donate my rather large surplus of books to their library, and she explained the process to me. She was very pleasant and told me that she wished more of "her girls" (her words) had friends like me. 
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