What do you think of my idea to reform the penal system?

Question

This is an idea I've toyed with from time to time. It sounds extremely conservative, even though I'm liberal on most issues.
I think our present prison system suffers from a basic flaws. We tell inmates they have a debt to society, and then release them after they've done their time.
To me, it would seem an inmate is someone that has shown incapable of living withing society's norms. I would therefore like to see the system changed so that the criminal bears the reponsibility of demonstrating his ability to reintegrate society.

So I would like to see introduced a series of measures making the offender responsible for his/her rehabilitation. For example, drug testing would be mandatory. Any inmate unable to remain "clean" while on the inside for at least a year would be denied freedom until that condition is met. Any inmate engaging in violence, would see his/her sentence prolonged as a result, until we are satisfied the person does not pose a risk of engaging in such behavior.

Does the idea sound too radical, or is it just common sense that an inmate should not reintegrate society until he/she has shown willigness to live by its rules?

I know there is overcrowding in the prison system, and lawyers who would scream bloody murder but all that asside, would such a system make more sense?

Answer 1

Basically everything that is stated is already applied. The criminal already bears the responsiblity through stigmatization from the public eye. Drug testing already occurs in prison as a condition of incarceration. Violent inmates are often denied parole due to violations of current regulations within the prison system.

Answer 2

As others have said, your ideas are good ones. So good, in fact, that most States are already implementing them.
In my home State, an inmate who harms another inmate is charged with (what the inmates call) free-world charges for assault. An inmate who harms an officer gets mandatory 10 years added to his current sentence.
Drug tests are random, but every inmate is tested at least once per year. Dirty urine gets you 30 days in the hole, possession gets you more free-world charges.
Part of the problem, though, is the prison environment. In a world where you either get raped, fight back or die, you end up doing a lot of fighting. Many convicts who come in for non-violent offenses end up doing extra time for violence while incarcerated.

Answer 3

The basic problem is that we have too many crimes and not enough prison space to send people away for indefinite periods until they are rehabilitated. If we did, some of your ideas would be a sensible part of the parole process. Right now I would just settle for legislators being required to authorize new prison beds prior to creating new felonies or increasing the penalties for existing felonies. I am tired of inmates serving only two months on a year and being released automatically.

Answer 4

In 1998 the Arkansas legislature passed the "emergency powers act," which gave the parole board the ability to release prisoners who were within 90 days of parole eligibility, early parole, in order to relieve prison overcrowding. This law has been invoked every 90 days since 1998, which is as often as the law allows. Prisoners who are sentenced to 5 years, often serve less than one. It's a joke.

Answer 5

We have this program already. It's called 'probation'. You might have heard of it.

If you want to tighten the guidelines of probation, go ahead. But, as an ex-con, I can give you a first hand account of my time in prison, as well as numerous times in county jail. I have learned quite a bit about crimminal behavior.

Crime is not a problem that can be solved from 'back-end' solutions. They might help, but the real sickness is with our society and laws.

Example: DRUG DEALERS.

Our jails and prisons are filled with dealers and users. Why? If we legalize a drug, we take the crimminal element out of it. Right now, drugs are the best game in town. There's more money in it than any other vice.

Did you know that when the cops raid a drug dealers home and convict him...in many cases, they can keep the home? They can keep all property, including cash. So...the cops stand to lose just as much money as the drug dealer if all narcotics are legalized.

This is just one facet of a complex issue, but it's an important one. There are many other things that could decrease crime, but I'll leave you with this thought. America's incarceration rate is about 700 per 100,000. This is over 3 percent, a HUGE percentage for a first world nation.

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2006/06/02/con-nation-illustrated/

Take a look at the graph above, then read the article below.

http://www.bloomington.in.us/~diego/positions/incarceration.html

As I said, drugs are just the tip of the iceberg. You may want to consider the fact that building jails is good bussiness, and very profitable for a sheriff's department. Filling jails up looks good to the voters, and building new one's usually means big government grants.

Answer 6

I for one am in agreement with further stipulations to this idea. And that is restitution be implemented. The victim of the crime is still out of pocket both financially and emotionally. Sure the criminal served his time with free lodgings and health care etc. Meanwhile the poor victim has to make up for the damages caused by this criminal.

Answer 7

If I had my way I would legalize all drugs, and loosen the restritions on what is considered "excessive" in self defense. Those who cant take drugs and keep it under control will get iced by one of the would-be victims. Those who can will enjoy the god given right to poison themselves. Our prisons will be much less crowded, taxpayers will save money, the cia will have less cash to aid them in pissing all over the constitution and american values.

Answer 8

Some of your ideas are already being done in the prisons but the problem with inmates is still there.

I have a very ultra-conservative idea that borders genocide or something out of a movie.

Answer 9

THIS SYSTEM IS ALREADY IN PLACE-IF YOU ACT OUT AND ARE DISRUPTIVE IN THE INSTITUITON YOUR PAROLE DATE IS SET OFF ANOTHER YEAR FROM THE DATE IT ONCE WAS--YOU CAN LOSE YOUR GOOD TIME YOU EARNED FOREVER THUS DOING STRAIGHT TIME-YOU CAN BE CHARGED WITH ANOTHER CRIME AND EXTEND YOUR STAY BEYOND YOUR NORMAL RELEASE DATE--IF YOU DO NOT ATTEND SCHOOLS, CLASSESS YOU MAY NOT BE GRANTED PAROLE TILL YOU DO SO--EVERY TIME YOU ARE CAUGHT ON DRUGS, YOUR CHARGED WITH ABUSE OF AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE AND CONRABAND WITHIN THE PRISON AND ARE SET BACK ON YOU PAROLE DATE--REHABILITATION IS THE ANSWER AND YOU ANSWER TO US IN SOCIETY AS TO WEATHER WE FEEL YOU ARE 21-ALREADY HAPPENING IN OUR PRISON SYSTEM FOR 5-6 YEARS--NO GED NO RELEASE PER 1991 LAW HR751--AND GUESS WHAT WE RELEASE INMATES AND MOST DO NOT WANT TO COME BACK TO SEE US--ALABAMA DOC

Answer 10

i myself like this one considering that is rather close to to the reality, for a metamorphosis. "lots of you're nicely sufficient off that...the tax cuts might have helped you. we are asserting that for u.s. to come again on objective, we are probably going to shrink that short and not supply it to you. we are going to take issues faraway from you on behalf of the common stable" Hitlery clitoon