3 ms·

Prison in the US isn't about rehabilitation it's about punishment. No one goes to prison thinking they're going to come out as a better person with a new outloo

by Xdes 13y ago

Prison in the US isn't about rehabilitation it's about punishment. No one goes to prison thinking they're going to come out as a better person with a new outlook on life. They're going to come out war-torn and barely above functional with little to no prospects.

jack-r-abbit 13y ago
This is exactly why the stories of people that do come out a better person (got a degree, found religion, etc) make the "news". No body talks much about the other 99% that just come out more pissed at the world than before they went in.
markus2012 13y ago
Little to no prospects: right, because punishment doesn't stop when you leave prison. Punishment continues until the day you die: you can't get a good job because virtually no one will hire an ex-con.
- WalterBright 13y ago
  And that's not just because employers are bad people - it's the propensity of people to sue and win against the employers if an employee commits a crime. The employer is even further liable if he knew the employee was an ex-con.
r00fus 13y ago
And why are we paying tax dollars for this? Especially when some of these prisons are run by for-profit corporations? If there's a single way to spur the economy it would be to close down many of these prisons, and reprogram the law enforcement goal of populating them.
- madaxe_again 13y ago
  Because that would hurt the interests of powerful lobbyists, and therefore congressmen and senators. The government of the US does not even remotely work for her people. They serve themselves.
- einhverfr 13y ago
  Where else are profitable prison industries to find workers? Edit: This is a slightly complex relationship but it holds. Once you start down a path of mass incarceration, there's pressure to find a profitable use for prisoners. Once you have a profit-making use, there's a demand for more prisoners. So while it is chicken and egg, it's pretty clear that the demand is a factor today. It is also worth noting that the the 13th Amendment specifically allows slavery as punishment for a crime.
marvin 13y ago
...and to make things worse, innocent people are often in jail for a considerable amount of time. If you're waiting for trial and can't pay bail...tough luck.
Someone 13y ago
This guy, as far as I can tell, isn't convicted for anything yet. So, according to the law ("innocent until proven guilty") he is innocent. Even if thousands saw him torture a dozen babies, he should get better protection, even if you think prison should solely be for punishment (an idea that, IMO, is both morally wrong and economically stupid)

by Xdes 13y ago

jack-r-abbit 13y ago

This is exactly why the stories of people that do come out a better person (got a degree, found religion, etc) make the "news". No body talks much about the other 99% that just come out more pissed at the world than before they went in.

markus2012 13y ago

Little to no prospects: right, because punishment doesn't stop when you leave prison. Punishment continues until the day you die: you can't get a good job because virtually no one will hire an ex-con.

WalterBright 13y ago
And that's not just because employers are bad people - it's the propensity of people to sue and win against the employers if an employee commits a crime. The employer is even further liable if he knew the employee was an ex-con.

r00fus 13y ago

And why are we paying tax dollars for this? Especially when some of these prisons are run by for-profit corporations? If there's a single way to spur the economy it would be to close down many of these prisons, and reprogram the law enforcement goal of populating them.

madaxe_again 13y ago
Because that would hurt the interests of powerful lobbyists, and therefore congressmen and senators. The government of the US does not even remotely work for her people. They serve themselves.
einhverfr 13y ago
Where else are profitable prison industries to find workers? Edit: This is a slightly complex relationship but it holds. Once you start down a path of mass incarceration, there's pressure to find a profitable use for prisoners. Once you have a profit-making use, there's a demand for more prisoners. So while it is chicken and egg, it's pretty clear that the demand is a factor today. It is also worth noting that the the 13th Amendment specifically allows slavery as punishment for a crime.

marvin 13y ago

...and to make things worse, innocent people are often in jail for a considerable amount of time. If you're waiting for trial and can't pay bail...tough luck.

Someone 13y ago

This guy, as far as I can tell, isn't convicted for anything yet. So, according to the law ("innocent until proven guilty") he is innocent. Even if thousands saw him torture a dozen babies, he should get better protection, even if you think prison should solely be for punishment (an idea that, IMO, is both morally wrong and economically stupid)