Is jail and efficient solution?

Question

We send people to jail.. we pay for them to be there, then they get out and have trouble being a productive member of society because.... they were in jail... granted violent offenders don't need to be left on the streets.. and jail is an appropriate place for such people... but for non-violent offenders wouldn't education and rehabilitation programs that gave them skills for the real world be more efficient in the long run.. these people could become productive members of society instead of falling into the cycle of crime... desperation causes many of the non-violent crimes.. take away the desperation by giving them pride and hope.. you no longer have need of the crime.

What is your opinion?

Answer 1

Pip,
The problem is there is too much money tied up in the system of keeping people incarcerated. Just on drug offenders alone look at the people employed. Police officers. Sherriff's deputies, Corrections officers. Drug, Alcohol and substance abuse counselors. Unrinalysis labs. Probation officers. Courtroom personnel. The list goes on and on. We have so much invested in keeping people in the criminal justice system, our economy would take a huge hit if non'violent persons were not incarcerated. I happen to agree with you, but, it's never gonna happen.

Answer 2

Non-violent crime is a broad term covering many crimes, however, most criminals who commit lesser non-violent crimes never see the inside of a jail cell as is and quite a few will get off with an ACOD. which will be expunged from there record in due time and they will get on with there lives. Most the people you are referring to have had multiple chances to, get on with a productive life and have screwed it up themselves. I'm sure there are exceptions but not very many.

One other thing to every one. Have any of you research criminal systems in other countries since you have sited the fact that America has the largest incarcerated population per capida? In Japan, and I use Japan because its a first world nation and I was stationed there, Jail is a ten by ten by ten concrete room you stay in for 23 hours a day, with a concrete slab as a bed, a 12 inch by 12 inch hole for a toilet and your fed fish-heads and rice twice a day. If that's not punitive I don't know what is and THAT is why they have such a low crime rate. For some Americans prison is better than there lives out of prison reverse that and they might start to care about going there.

Answer 3

The US has a higher percentage of its population in prison than any other country on the face of the planet.

Besides the exorbitant costs of running prisons, the toll on society is insane. The so called 'war on drugs' hasn't made a dent in the steady flow of drugs into this country, and if nothing else has made it worse. The demand will always be there for drugs, and their illegal status gaurantees that they will command a high street price - thereby gauranteeing that more addicts will have to commit violent crimes in order to feed their habit. Besides having first time non-violent drug offenders clogging up the prisons, they also then are exposed to hardcore criminals, (if they aren't killed or brutally raped repeatedly first). Once they get back out on the street, more crime is their only real choice.

Answer 4

Jail works perfectly fine for about 3% of the offenders, the rest are drug addicts and alcoholics with psychological/mental problems. Sociopath/psychopaths that nothing is going to change their minds. Ronald Reagan had all of the mental health/insane asylum facilities disbanded while serving as President. Now all of the people that are insane are walking the streets until they commit a crime and serve time in our prisons. Whether you know it or not there is a prison inside of each of our prisons that house these people that should never see daylight. This is where the penal system is failing currently in America, by massing everyone together..

Answer 5

prison doesn't work. its putting someone into a hostile environment where they will only deterorate and have less guilt and empathy.
I say we should seperate violent from non-violent criminals- but offer both some kind of rehibilitation.
I also think COs (correctional officers) should be told that these people are here to atone for what they did and learn to obey the law so prisoners aren't mistreated, verbally abused, or bullied. most criminals have low self-esteem. thats why they commit crimes to feel powerful. they need that self-esteem built up if they ever want to join soceity again

Answer 6

Prison system used to be a reformatory, now it is punitive. When it was reformatory, they found that most inmates could not read, and then taught them to read. This was proven effective at curtailing recidivism. That was back in Carter's admin. Since then, it has changed (under Reagan) who also closed down the mental instituions and put mentally ill people on the streets...whyo then committed crimes of vagrancy and the like, and were arrested and the realeased, and then sent back, etc...because they are somewhere they don't belong, and they aren't getting the help they need, not to mention burdening and endangering the lives of the guards who are ill equipped to deal with this type of 'criminal'. Abuse abounds, costs are wasted, and for what? Politics.

Answer 7

Its all about money and govt. profit . Our govt . has industrialized robbing ,victimizing and enslaving our citizens in prison for profit .They pass unconstitutional laws to make people felons so they can take their money and property put huge fines on them ,then enslave them to do work for govt. for pennies a day while charging them rent for being in prison. Govt. sells products prisoners make for standatrd prices that makes buisnesses with out slave labor not able to compete on contracts for products .Then when released govt . takes their right to vote so they have no choice in any thing controling their lives but still have to pay full taxes on everything (Which I might add is taxation without representation) Now I saw where they are going to take social security benifits these people have paid in all their lives .The govt. also collects taxes for incarcerating these people giving inflated the costs and not reporting the moneys stolen from them or profits made off them .They say it costs $30,000 a year to keep 1 person in prison ,You can go to most any university in the country for a tuition of $10,000. Seems to me some thing is wrong with that .The govt. doesn't want these people to ever be able to better themselves ,so they can keep robbing them in the future after they are released .Thats why prisons have 5 people in space made for one ,and there is no justice in our courts today .200 people we were going to execute on death row that DNA test proved innocent would show this .Prisons were made to protect society from violent predators .The population has exploded since govt.has made prisons for profit at our citizens expense .Tyranny and oppression for money through power and control .

Answer 8

They don't have trouble being productive members of the society because they were in prison.

Nor do we owe them the opportunity to try to become productive members of society.

They already HAD that choice.

They chose to violate someone else.

It does not MATTER if prison rehabilitates them - WE DO NOT OWE THEM THAT! WE DO NOT OWE THEM ANYTHING! THEY OWE US!!!!

Prison terms should be tripled, prisoners should do work, and they should make the prisons self-funding.

And can we please stop pretending that people in prison for drugs are "nonviolent offenders" - - it's easier to prove that the gangbanger had a crack pipe and 3 ounces of crack on him than that he was shaking down a witness in another gangbanger's trial. You sound like the prisons are full of Grateful Dead followers - ludicrous!!!!

Answer 9

Jails should be a thing of the past....except for the most hardened crimals.

Our crime rates remain high, even with 2% of our population behind bars. A new solution is needed.

Answer 10

the mousy rehab and huggy kissy mush aside jail is miserably ineffective. Go back to caning for the vandals etc. Jail for child molesters rapers (if we cant just death penalty them) and the violent offenders. White collar criminals get all their current assets as well as future earnings cut to say 50k/yr including anyone who lets them live in their house etc. Minor drug offenders get their drugs taken away and have to get a job and stay employed or go to jail. Realistically fixing the economy would help the most.