Quote:
Originally posted by skier
Your last paragraph annoys me a little. You make accusations based on an emotional reaction. If my grandma stole money from an ATM or abused animals she is just as guilty as any other person out there. Like it or not, she should recieve the same punishment as the rest.
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I think MooseMan's point is to emphasize that we shouldn't treat people in jail this way
before they are convicted. Would you want a relative who is innocent of some crime to endure this before they have the opportunity to confirm their innocence in court?
Quote:
Originally posted by Memnoch
What most liberals don't understand is that the vast majority of the inmates in the prison system either can't or won't be "rehabilitated."
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Successful rehabilitation programs exist; for instance, I recommend reading about the Delancey Street Foundation (
http://www.eisenhowerfoundation.org/...oots/delancey/ is their site, google can find you more information). Rehabilitation is a difficult thing to accomplish, and perhaps it is impossible for some. It involves a lot more than being nice to ex-cons and giving them what they want. But the successes of non-governmental organizations seems to suggest that careful design and implementation of such programs within the prison system is possible and desirable.
I still would be interested in comparing the recitivism rate of Arpaio's prisoners with those in other prisons -- if it has proven effectiveness I would not object to it so strongly. I do doubt that it could be as effective as a well-designed rehabilitation program, although it could conceivably do better than a cushy prison with neither true rehabilitation nor harsh punishment.