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>The prison-industrial complex will not allow falling incarceration rates to eat into its profits - too many executive bonuses depend just the opposite. We nee

by gozur88 11y ago

>The prison-industrial complex will not allow falling incarceration rates to eat into its profits - too many executive bonuses depend just the opposite. We need to get away from thinking this is some kind of conspiracy. The drug war exists because the public is unwilling to entertain alternatives, and to the extent it's misguided, it's a misguided attempt to deal with real problems. Certainly there are companies and individuals making money by building and staffing prisons, but without public support the system would not exist as currently constituted. In my state you don't go to jail for simple possession. People who end up in the slammer on drug charges are there either because they were dealing, or because the drug charges were coupled with other criminal behavior. To get locked up for possession of even "hard" drugs you have to be arrested multiple times and have a history of the sorts of crimes associated with junkies. I'm curious what people who want to "end the drug war" are proposing we do with a meth head on serial burglary spree in an effort to support his habit. Because he's not going to stop breaking into houses no matter what you do with the drug laws.

thinkmassive 11y ago
Charge them with burglary. It's already a crime.
- gozur88 11y ago
  Yes, but the point is that guy is going to end up in jail one way or another. People who think the jails will just empty out if we stop prosecuting people for drugs aren't thinking things through.
- dinkumthinkum 11y ago
  Your flippant statement is cute but some people might be interested not having the serial burglars. I think it's sort of interesting that someone posted some Mother Jones apologia for criminality citing Swiss cheese hypotheses about lead and criminality ..... but wait we have to outlaw lead but any drugs people want to use must be made free ... what about ones including lead? I mean perhaps you aren't making this claim, I just think there are a lot of misconceptions about the utopia that follows from complete legalization and and I think the "we have laws against theft and murder already" are pretty weak for those interested in like having civil society.

by gozur88 11y ago

thinkmassive 11y ago

Charge them with burglary. It's already a crime.

gozur88 11y ago
Yes, but the point is that guy is going to end up in jail one way or another. People who think the jails will just empty out if we stop prosecuting people for drugs aren't thinking things through.
dinkumthinkum 11y ago
Your flippant statement is cute but some people might be interested not having the serial burglars. I think it's sort of interesting that someone posted some Mother Jones apologia for criminality citing Swiss cheese hypotheses about lead and criminality ..... but wait we have to outlaw lead but any drugs people want to use must be made free ... what about ones including lead? I mean perhaps you aren't making this claim, I just think there are a lot of misconceptions about the utopia that follows from complete legalization and and I think the "we have laws against theft and murder already" are pretty weak for those interested in like having civil society.