4 ms·

This is a huge disservice to the public. Lots of offenders are repeat offenders, and the public needs to know who they are. Or maybe someone just wants to look

This is a huge disservice to the public. Lots of offenders are repeat offenders, and the public needs to know who they are. Or maybe someone just wants to look up an old news story they remember. More fundamentally, this type of action is just a manipulation of the public and not journalism, which should be a neutral way of sharing information.

CSMastermind 2y ago
No just lots but almost all. 63% of violent offenders reoffend but that actually undercounts the amount of crimes that are caused by repeat offenders because there are some people offending 10+ times. A three strikes rule would eliminate nearly half of all violent crime because nearly half of violent crime is committed by people who have already been convicted of 3+ other violent crimes.
- blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
  In the Seattle area there’s a huge trend of reoffending criminals performing larger crimes as time goes, because they face no real consequences. This is happening because activist judges, who typically run unopposed and don’t face consequences themselves, are releasing dangerous criminals back into the public. As a recent example, an activist judge released a teen who committed felony robbery back into the public, against prosecutors’ pleas, and he ended up stabbing and disemboweling another teen. https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-lions-park-stabbing-kidnapping-assault-teens-charged-adults-violent-attack-juvenile-court-released-snohomish-county-prosecutors https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-lions-park-stabbing-...
  - mmooss 2y ago
    > there’s a huge trend of reoffending criminals performing larger crimes as time goes Is there evidence of it? In my experience, people take a few incidents as ammunition for their reactionary attacks on 'activists'. But that doesn't mean it is or isn't happening.
  - qingcharles 2y ago
    Statistically, across the USA, a large majority of the judges are ex-prosecutors and definitely not "activists." I've personally known dozens of criminal court judges and I can't think of a single one that routinely sentences on the low side or would be considered an "activist." Even the defense lawyers I know that become judges usually sentence punitively, as if to show they aren't biased.
- FireBeyond 2y ago
  > A three strikes rule would eliminate nearly half of all violent crime because nearly half of violent crime is committed by people who have already been convicted of 3+ other violent crimes. LMAO. Twenty-nine states have a three strikes rule, and their violent crime hasn't decreased by half. Source: https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/three-strikes-laws-in-different-states.html https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/three-strikes...
  - blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
    Maybe it has dropped relative to what it would have been otherwise.
    - FireBeyond 2y ago
      Then presumably the states with these rules will be the least violent in the country, right? Spoiler: they’re not. In fact several of the states without those rules have less violent crime. If you want to say each state is different, sure. But there is zero way of proving your hypothesis.
- thoutsnark 2y ago
  Which suggests rehab might be better than prison for getting these people to give up violence.
qingcharles 2y ago
I was locked up. I've worked with offenders coming straight out of prison. A majority will return to prison. Why? Several reasons. 1) When you get out, everything is stacked against you. Despite what you hear, there is almost zero support for those released. You've almost certainly lost all your support networks (family, friends). You have no money, no ID, no bank account, no debit card, no cellphone, no email address, no home, no clothing, no food. You have a criminal record, the newspapers say you're a criminal, the Internet says you're a criminal. It's very, very tough. 2) Your only friends when you get out are other ex-cons. Most people in the system have suffered from drug addictions. Everyone you know will be trying to get you to use again. And if they can get you to use then they can get you to steal to get money to pay them for drugs, so they can pay for their own drugs. 3) Only the first stint in jail really sucks. When you walk back into jail you walk back in as a boss. You know the system, you know the routines, you're probably going back to the same jail, so you know the guards. All your friends are there. When you walk in the door your buddies will give you a starter kit to get you going. You're not scared of anyone or anything. After the first time, not only are you not scared to return, you might be thankful for the rest from the hardships of being released.
- defrost 2y ago
  Various by system - South Africa has a 9 out of 10 recidivism rate, the US 7 out of 10, Finland 3 out of 10. China, reportedly, has just over 1 out of 10 .. although the reason there is they apparently execute serial recidivists. Finland puts some effort into looking what circumstances land citizens in jail and addressing those and post time served support.
  - qingcharles 2y ago
    Yes, sorry, my comment is specific to the USA. A lot of countries have better and/or different (China) ways of dealing with recidivism. It's horrible that if you go to prison once, then that's basically your whole life from now on. Most people will never escape the revolving door. Every single person I know who has been to prison is counting down the days until they end up locked up again.

CSMastermind 2y ago

No just lots but almost all. 63% of violent offenders reoffend but that actually undercounts the amount of crimes that are caused by repeat offenders because there are some people offending 10+ times. A three strikes rule would eliminate nearly half of all violent crime because nearly half of violent crime is committed by people who have already been convicted of 3+ other violent crimes.

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
In the Seattle area there’s a huge trend of reoffending criminals performing larger crimes as time goes, because they face no real consequences. This is happening because activist judges, who typically run unopposed and don’t face consequences themselves, are releasing dangerous criminals back into the public. As a recent example, an activist judge released a teen who committed felony robbery back into the public, against prosecutors’ pleas, and he ended up stabbing and disemboweling another teen. https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-lions-park-stabbing-kidnapping-assault-teens-charged-adults-violent-attack-juvenile-court-released-snohomish-county-prosecutors https://komonews.com/news/local/everett-lions-park-stabbing-...
- mmooss 2y ago
  > there’s a huge trend of reoffending criminals performing larger crimes as time goes Is there evidence of it? In my experience, people take a few incidents as ammunition for their reactionary attacks on 'activists'. But that doesn't mean it is or isn't happening.
- qingcharles 2y ago
  Statistically, across the USA, a large majority of the judges are ex-prosecutors and definitely not "activists." I've personally known dozens of criminal court judges and I can't think of a single one that routinely sentences on the low side or would be considered an "activist." Even the defense lawyers I know that become judges usually sentence punitively, as if to show they aren't biased.
FireBeyond 2y ago
> A three strikes rule would eliminate nearly half of all violent crime because nearly half of violent crime is committed by people who have already been convicted of 3+ other violent crimes. LMAO. Twenty-nine states have a three strikes rule, and their violent crime hasn't decreased by half. Source: https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/three-strikes-laws-in-different-states.html https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/three-strikes...
- blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
  Maybe it has dropped relative to what it would have been otherwise.
  - FireBeyond 2y ago
    Then presumably the states with these rules will be the least violent in the country, right? Spoiler: they’re not. In fact several of the states without those rules have less violent crime. If you want to say each state is different, sure. But there is zero way of proving your hypothesis.
thoutsnark 2y ago
Which suggests rehab might be better than prison for getting these people to give up violence.

qingcharles 2y ago

I was locked up. I've worked with offenders coming straight out of prison. A majority will return to prison. Why? Several reasons. 1) When you get out, everything is stacked against you. Despite what you hear, there is almost zero support for those released. You've almost certainly lost all your support networks (family, friends). You have no money, no ID, no bank account, no debit card, no cellphone, no email address, no home, no clothing, no food. You have a criminal record, the newspapers say you're a criminal, the Internet says you're a criminal. It's very, very tough. 2) Your only friends when you get out are other ex-cons. Most people in the system have suffered from drug addictions. Everyone you know will be trying to get you to use again. And if they can get you to use then they can get you to steal to get money to pay them for drugs, so they can pay for their own drugs. 3) Only the first stint in jail really sucks. When you walk back into jail you walk back in as a boss. You know the system, you know the routines, you're probably going back to the same jail, so you know the guards. All your friends are there. When you walk in the door your buddies will give you a starter kit to get you going. You're not scared of anyone or anything. After the first time, not only are you not scared to return, you might be thankful for the rest from the hardships of being released.

defrost 2y ago
Various by system - South Africa has a 9 out of 10 recidivism rate, the US 7 out of 10, Finland 3 out of 10. China, reportedly, has just over 1 out of 10 .. although the reason there is they apparently execute serial recidivists. Finland puts some effort into looking what circumstances land citizens in jail and addressing those and post time served support.
- qingcharles 2y ago
  Yes, sorry, my comment is specific to the USA. A lot of countries have better and/or different (China) ways of dealing with recidivism. It's horrible that if you go to prison once, then that's basically your whole life from now on. Most people will never escape the revolving door. Every single person I know who has been to prison is counting down the days until they end up locked up again.