Should prisons be made tougher?

Question

Crime rates are rising so the whole rehabilitation of criminals doesn't seem to work. Should we be more proactive and less reactive to criminals? It seems to me the only things bad about prison is not being able to go out when you want, and of course never being able to drop the soap...

Answer 1

Here's some interesting reading, sent to me by an American friend..

For those of you not familiar with Joe Arpaio, he's the Maricopa County Sheriff. (Arizona)
He is re-elected every year.
Here are some of the reasons why:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio created the "tent city jail" to save Arizona from spending tens of million of dollars on another expensive prison complex.
He has prison meals down to 40 cents a serving, and charges inmates for them.
He banned smoking and porno magazines in the jails, took away their weightlifting equipment and cut off all but "G" rated movies He says: "they're in jail to pay a debt to society, not to build muscles so they can assault innocent people when they leave."
He started chain gangs to use inmates for free labour on county and city projects, to save taxpayer's money.
He also started chain gangs for women inmates, so he could not be sued for sexual discrimination.
He took away cable tv, until he discovered there was a federal court order requiring this facility for jails, so he re-installed the cable tv, limiting the channels to Disney, & the weather channel only. When asked why he chose the weather channel, he replied, "so these morons will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs"
He removed coffee from the menu because it has zero nutritional value and is therefore a waste of the taxpayer's money. When inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton, If you don't like it, don't come back."
The Newt Gingrich lecture series on US history, is piped into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lectures by
a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture that actually tells the truth for a change would be welcome, as it might help explain why 95% of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.
With temperatures even hotter than usual in Phoenix, (116 degrees set a new record), the Associated Press reported around 2,000 inmates living in a razorwire-enclosed tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail had been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.
On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing these pink boxer shorts were talking within the tents, where temperatures reached 128 degrees. "This feels like hell, we're living in a furnace," said Ernesto Gonzales, an inmate for 2 years, with a further 10 to complete. "It's inhumane!" Joe Arpaio, who makes his prisoners wear pink, and eat Bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. "Criminals should be punished for their crimes, not live in luxury until it's time for parole. Some are released, only to commit further crimes so they can return here to live on taxpayers money, and enjoy many things that some taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves"
He told inmates who were complaining of the heat inside of the tents, "It's between 120 -130 degrees in Iraq, and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to walk all day in the sun, wearing full battle dress, and get shot at, and they haven't committed any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!"
Way to go Sheriff!
If all prisons were like yours there would be a lot less crime, and we would not be in the current position where we are running out of available prison space.

Ain't it the truth?..

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Wow Zarathustra you are so good at making a compelling argument in every way except in logic, sense, and coherency.

All crime has victims. If your husband is a prosecutor you would know that.

I fail to see how increasing the death penalty will increase the homicide rate. What is the logic behind this?

Is rape ok if it was impulsive? Are all impulsive crimes ok?

And I am completely lost when you talk about a dead witness. If a witness is dead, then yes it is impossible to testify against the perpetrator, however why would you then go and kill her.

Maybe I'm reading this question wrong - are we talking about the prison system or the death penalty.

Yes, the prison system is not working effectively. Yes, people are abused daily in prison, but how did they get there in the first place?

Prison should be made tougher, but not so much that, when released the people are not able to fit back into society.

Answer 4

No. Are crime rates are artificially high bacause we make up things that hurt no one but the "criminals" ( drug use, prostiution, etc) As to "real" crime, murder is at a low not seen since the 60s, "violent" crimein general is less than half what is was 15 years ago. Crime rates are falling like a rock, they are just being reported more by the media.
Repeat offenders are a problem but at least part of that is becuase of a system where they can not learn job skills for when they get out and are discriminated agasint in the job market anyway. No one who gets out of prison has anything to live for, so they might as well get what they can take.
Sure there are those who can't or won't live in society no matter what opportunites they have, but for those that could we make it impossible starting with turning them in to animals in our prisons.
Check out the UN report on US prisons sometime, it is issued by the commition agsint torture.



By the way, for morons who think the death penalty is the answer. The best way to increase the homicide rate is to increase the death penalty. Sure a rapist deserves death, but many such crimes are impulsive and won't be deterred, but once done, a dead witness can't id or testify agasint the perpetrator so, if the penatly is the same, the best move would be to kill her too. The death penatly for non murder crimes gives criminals reason to murder. Sorry, thats just the way it is.

Answer 5

I think they should be tougher especially the folks who have commited sick crimes. the US will never do it but i feel it should eye for and eye, because in other countries they do that and there crime rate isnt that bad. People adjust after a few years of never seeing your loved ones you are bound to be ok with it and from what i heard most criminals who get out commit the same crime again. I heard in Germany if a man rapes a woman he gets his penis cut off and i feel that is what should happen.

Answer 6

I think you have a skewed view of what actually goes on in prison. People get raped on a daily basis, not to mention beaten, stabbed, choked, and just about every other unpleasant thing you can think of. That's what's so great about the prison system, you put the scum with the scum (hopefully you put the right people in there) and they proceed to beat the ever loving hell out of each other.

What's needed is longer prison terms, and less people in jail for harmless crimes, like possession of small amounts of marijuana. We'd save millions in tax dollars, and the people that actually deserve to be there will stay there longer.

Answer 7

all the judiciary could persist with government regulations that's to ; one million) keep away from custodial sentences the place attainable. 2) bypass as short a sentence as attainable. 3) launch prisoners as quickly as attainable. This has been the case with the aid of the term of this government and the final Tory one besides ( and the subsequent one ) for sure judges persist with those regulations like sheep and could proceed to accomplish that.

Answer 8

Tougher sentencing for crimes. All states need to have the death penalty when it is proven beyond doubt, like with DNA.
We need bigger penalties before our crime rate will drop. Period.

Answer 9

Actually they should be made less tougher. alot of prsoners get their sentences extended because they have to commit crimes to survive. they need to get better at rehabillitation though

Answer 10

yes