posted on May, 27 2011 @ 02:41 PM
Originally posted by Taupin Desciple
How exactly do you think we should change the way that we, as a society, should handle citizens who break the law?
Million dollar question.
For starters prisons should be done away with. Torn down. Replaced with bare minimum dormitory or barracks type facilities and rather than sitting
stewing with criminal minds for years on end labor should be mandatory. Some sort of community service. Either on site or chain gang style. Any way
they get them working.
Mandatory counseling.
No idle time unless sleeping.
Immediate consequences for misbehavior. Like training a dog. Dont give them time to forget what they did wrong. A clear association between the action
and consequence needs to be established and regularly enforced.
It doesnt help anyone or even society to take some car thief and lock him up with rapists and murderers.
We should also accept that time-served is time-served. No registries or background check marks. No revokation of rights. If you cant get a job you
arent going to improve your life. If society keeps pushing you out you'll have no place to go but back to the penal center. Granted the record should
be kept to adjust any future penalties accordingly but that record should remain sealed unless there is another offense then sealed once again upon
release.
I know this will upset the "think of the children!" crowd but the reality is that any registry or background check you could possibly have/do wont
ever prevent a crime. At best it gives investigators a likely place to start looking for a perpetrator but even that isnt necessary and one may even
argue that the perpetrator felt so compelled to repeat the offense because things like registries and background checks created an environment where
the perpetrator felt the pro's outweighed the con's for committing the crime. Once someone is locked in the "ex-con" type what they have to lose
is significantly less than anyone who is not locked in the "ex-con" type.
Rather than a machine for vengeance we need a platform for repaying debts and learning to live in society.
That would be a start.