Why is the System So Cruel?

[AtlanticHottie20]

Ok, this is sort of random, but after watching a couple of documentries shows off of TV, I just dont understand why alot of these criminals (whether its attempted murder, robberie, fleeing the police) are sentenced to these 50 and 100 year sentences.

I mean, how are these people being helped? how is that solving anything? Stupid, dumb, and desperate seem to be the key words for it.

I'm not trying to overly defend or make it seem light, but when I see some of these stories I just wonder about it. Say 10-20 years down the line these same people are still held in contempt.

What are your ideas about excessively long prison sentences? Is there some kind of revolution that may come one day that instead of locking people up forever that maybe other measures like counseling, or some kind of mental evalutions and healing be involved?

I know if you do the crime you do the time and you have to face the consequences, but I've always been against the idea of life sentences, unless of course the person went on some kind of killing spree...

[divemedic]

On the flip side of that, how do you explain to the parents of a 5 year old little girl who was murdered why the man who killed her was running around free after being convicted 18 months ago for his third violent offense?

Do you tell them that we let the criminal out because it was too cruel to keep him in jail for life? Do you tell him that even though we were mistaken when we thought he was rehabilitated the first time, that the second time he was convicted, we REALLY thought he was rehabilitated, and now that he has killed your little girl, we will be extra careful when we rehabilitate him this time.

Some people are in jail for a long time because they have proven that they are not fit to live in a free society with decent people.

[aardvarc]

In addition to agreeing with Divemedic, let me comment that it's exceedingly rare for a first time offender to get 50 or 100 year sentences. Those often come down on persons who are already on probation or parole for some prior crime, and didn't learn their lesson the first, or second, or third, or however many times they've been arrested, convicted, incarcerated, and released.

People can either choose to learn and change, or people can continue to do what they've been doing and leave it to "the system" to protect the rest of us from them by putting them away for extended periods of time.

Heck, just yesterday a deputy was on his way out with a warrant for the arrest of a 19 year old - and his rap sheet included 41 prior arrests (38 were as a juvenile) - most for auto theft and burglary. Guess 41 times of being told that his behavior was not acceptable didn't sink in, and personally, I'm hoping that this time he'll be off the streets for a good long time.

Bear in mind too that ANY crime has the potential to become a violent one at any moment. Someone with a lot of burglary activity means they've gotten lucky and haven't been contronted by a business owner or homeowner while in the act (otherwise it stops being a burglary and becomes a robbery - a violent crime by definition). But it only takes one mistake of thinking no one is home, then breaking into that house, being contronted by an angry homeowner and the two get into a scuffle which could easily end up with one party injured or dead. Unfortunately too often it's the wrong party who ends up that way. (Unless the crime is happening in places like Colorado or Florida where the Castle Doctrine allows us to shoot first and ask questions later, whether the crime being committed is a violent one or not.)

[AtlanticHottie20]

Oh ok, that does makes sense...

and especially the idea of the repeat offenders that keep going in and out of jail. I can remember being around some kids long ago who were neglected by their parents or their parents just didnt give a crap about them. and then once they're off the hook they just become a menace.

So basically when you say not 'fit' for society, can one also say it's true that some people are as 'fit' for society as the average zoo or household animal? (although of course pets have much more freedom)

[cyjeff]

There are two reasons for incarceration.

One is to punish the offender.

The other is to protect the population from the offender.

The sentence is usually a balance of the two.

[OhMy]

In my opinion if someone gets a 100 year sentence, let them serve it in FULL. The time to think about crime is BEFORE you commit it.

Most just think that they can get away with it. If they thought about the outcome BEFORE they did their crimes, the jails would be empty for sure.

[aardvarc]

Unfortunately for all of us, our system of law and government doesn't generally allow us to hold parents responsible for parenting (or lack thereof) that produces criminals, at least once the criminals are adults. We'd have to start a new society where when anyone commits a crime, the criminal and both parents get the same sentence. Talk about accountability!

Unfortunately, even just a quick glance at boards such as this one will disclose just how vast the number of unplanned pregnancies, single-parent households, non-supporting parents, voluntarily and involuntarily absent parents, and other factors that play into the dynamic of neglected/unwanted kids is these days. Too many parents these days seem to think that teaching everything from birth control to coping skills is totally the responsibility of the school their kids go to, then they are amazed when the outcome isn't the next Nobel Prize winner.

If it were up to me, I'd have everyone sterilized at birth, and once you graduate high school, have held a job for a year, and have formed a legal union of some sort with the other prospective parent (since kids really benefit from having TWO involved parents), then and only then, I'd give you the antidote. Biologically, human beings have an amazing capacity to reproduce - even when every sociological factor screams that actually doing so isn't a good idea for the child's sake.

Ah....love, huh?

PS. don't forget to write in "AARDVARC for President" this November!

[blueeagle]

In my opinion if someone gets a 100 year sentence, let them serve it in FULL. The time to think about crime is BEFORE you commit it.

I hear this argument ALOT. I rarely hvae a criminal justice debate with out hearing, "Life should mean LIFE!" or, "20 years should mean 20 YEARS, not 3!!!" Well... maybe so, but these people have no clue how overcrowded our jails are! We incarcerate more people per capita than any nation in the world! The taxpayers can no longer afford this burden the government (no offense) has placed on our backs! I want a tax break NOW! I don't care if you have to release a few non-violent felon early!

[souperdave]

So when those "non-violent felons" steal your identity and ruin your life because they do not want to 'conform' and get a real job, then that's okay? Or the same shoplifters get busted over and over again and you pay higher prices because of it, then you're okay with that too?

So-called "non-violent felons" do just as much harm as violent ones, just in an entirely different manner!

I'll tell ya what, you spend fifty minutes on the phone with an elderly man explaining and describing how a "non-violent felon" with MULTIPLE convictions stole his recently deceased wife's identity and now he's victimized by thousands of dollars worth of 'damage', ON TOP OF BURYING HIS WIFE OF 63 YEARS, then you tell me what your opinion is of "non violent felons" is!!!

I'm betting it'll change a bit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[divemedic]

That is a horse of a different color. One of the main reasons for our high incarceration rate IMO is the "war on drugs." This modern era version of prohibition has brought us the modern day version of the mafia (street gangs that can afford high tech weapons) because of drug profits, full jails, no knock warrants, asset forfeitures for people not even charged with a crime much less convicted of one, and one out of every 50 people in this country will be incarcerated sometime during his life. This war on drugs costs the American taxpayer about $40 billion a year.

There are currently 2.4 million people in American prisons. 1 million of them are in there for nonviolent drug related offenses. In 1971, when President Nixon declared the war on drugs, there were about 400,000 people in US prisons. You have to ask yourself, how is the war on drugs doing? Is it any harder to get drugs now than in 1971? If not, then why have we wasted all of this money and incarcerated so many people?