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Even those people don't think you should get a life sentence for every crime. If a prisoner gets out of prison they are going to live somewhere, so somebody is
by jules 11y ago
Even those people don't think you should get a life sentence for every crime. If a prisoner gets out of prison they are going to live somewhere, so somebody is going to be their neighbor. Even if they aren't your neighbor they still live in the same city. The only way around that is to make completely segregated cities for ex-prisoners with walls around them, but that's effectively a giant prison with life sentences for everyone.
The most important thing is to engage the rational side of the brain and focus on outcomes instead of the emotional side of the brain and focus on revenge. Recidivism is much lower in humane prisons (something like ~20% vs ~70%).
- pjc50 11y agoEven those people don't think you should get a life sentence for every crime. The effect of 3-strikes laws was a life sentence for every third crime, and these have been quite popular. My point is the underlying moral viewpoint of some people that crime is a character trait and not a contingent behaviour: the view that some people are just "bad". Switching this discussion to the rational mode is extremely hard.
- planfaster 11y agoI'm one of those "some people" you mentioned. It is indeed about morals. Violence, in my view, is definitely a character trait inextricable from genetic makeup and early upbringing (which sets significant epigenetic markers). That is exactly why people should be armed. There is no reason for violent criminals to be in prison, they should be dead either from their victim defending themselves, or those around the victim defending the victim. As for non-violent crimes, they shouldn't be in prison, they should be fined or made to work to repay their damages. This is the rational mode. Your mode, being soft-hearted and wanting to find excuses for violence behavior just so that the criminal can't be blamed, is the emotional mode.
- someone7x 11y agoNot sure why you are downvoted and not parent comment; both make the unsubstantiated claim their position is rational and another position is not.
- ryanlol 11y agoAh, but that's hardly a claim that needs substantiating. Everybody knows that people can change, adapting to your environment is a basic survival instinct. Anyone arguing that people don't... can't change obviously has a deeply twisted understanding of humanity.
- jules 11y agoMaybe because it directly contradicts the facts? If people can't change then why is the recidivism rate in humane prisons 20% and in punishment oriented prisons 70%? A more likely explanation however is that there is another reason why he is downvoted: because he suggests killing all violent offenders.
- OneTimePaddy 11y agoUsually its actually not about the crime at all- its just a revenge phantasy on somebody, who is percieved to be not "caged" in the working life and society as oneself. Offenders are just the smallest set of agreeable individuals deserving the punishment for not walking the citizen line.