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These are two murderers who decided to kill each other. There are good reasons to leave people like that in actual solitary, so that they're unable to hurt oth
by Natsu 11y ago
These are two murderers who decided to kill each other. There are good reasons to leave people like that in actual solitary, so that they're unable to hurt others, but killing each other was never a human response. Nor, given their history, can I glibly conclude that prison made them that way, when all evidence is that the causal arrow points in the opposite direction.
I may be somewhat biased. My mother was murdered--brutally and deliberately. The man responsible also threatened grandma. He's serving life in prison now. I have good reason to fear for myself and grandma if well-intentioned people let him free.
If intentional, cold-blooded murder isn't a good reason to keep someone away from others, then I wonder just how society is supposed to integrate that behavior.
- PhasmaFelis 11y agoI don't think most people are arguing that these two guys, or people like them, should have been released. The problem is that we're filling up the prisons with drug users and other non-violent offenders, and as a result everyone gets squeezed, from kids who got caught smoking pot right on up to cold-blooded murderers. Fix the overcrowding on the low end, and the high end has room to expand as needed without reducing the sentences for hardened killers.
- Natsu 11y agoI should hope at least that is the prevailing sentiment, but I've met enough people who told me otherwise to have reason to worry.
- bitwize 11y agoSo let's leave the cold-blooded killers in prison and put the inmates there on nonviolent drug offenses under house arrest or something.
- Natsu 11y agoI'd leave some caveats in there: people who drive under the influence and similar types who have caused serious injury or death should be considered 'violent' here, as well as those who may have merely threatened violence (car jackers, muggers) without actually causing injury. But yes, ordinary non-violent offenses are not a good fit for prison, in general.