Quote:
|
Originally Posted by alansmithee
Couldn't that just mean that those criminals that get prison sentences are generally worse than those that don't? Currently, the more severe the crime the higher likelyhood of incarceration. It would be similar to saying that because more people die during surgery in hospitals than in doctors offices, surgery shouldn't be done in hospitals.
|
Wrong... That fact is comparing equal sentences for equal offenses.
Murderers compose .1% of prison populations. Almost all of the offenders in prisons are in on stints less than 2 years, mostly for property offenses. And those who are in federal prisons are mostly repeat property offenders, assault, and theft over 5,000.
And as for your doctor's office/hospital correlation, I can't make heads nor tails of it... Perhaps you can clarify it so I can respond.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by alansmithlee
I personally think that prisons should be more like prisons, and less like daycamps. There should be no amenities, no entertainment. It might be inhumane, but so are the crimes these people are convicted of.
These people aren't troubled children in need of hugs, they are dangerous and/or socially maladjusted adults who need to be taught to live with rules. They gave up their right to dignity when they committed a crime severe enough to warrant a stay in prison. There are some criminals who could use rehabilitation, but they do not generally commit the types of crimes that land you in a prison as opposed to a jail.
|
I say it again and again, murder is the statistically least likely offense which occurs every year. It totals .01% of all crime in Canada... hell, it is only 1% of the VIOLENT crime in Canada.
The vast, vast, vast majority of crime is people who are from poor socioeconomic backgrounds, with poor education, and are unemployed. We can help these people! I have much more faith in the human species than to relegate all of them to slow torture behind cold walls when we can actually prevent them from reoffending and heal the hurt done to the community instead of creating more criminals.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by alansmithlee
How can you prove he has been rehabilitated? Honestly, I personally feel safer keeping someone who could warrant that kind of heavy sentence locked up. These people don't deserve dignity and self-respect, they are criminals who have committed heinous crimes.
|
These people are HUMAN BEINGS... they have made serious mistakes, yes... BUT, they also will run the course of their prison sentences eventually, and then... *GASP* they are released back into the community, often with no rehabilitation, and are expected to be contributive members of society. The law states we can't keep them locked up forever, so why not try to heal the hurt, and create a better society?