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The main function of prisons is to keep the criminals away from law-abiding society. Note that the guy's accomplice continued his criminal behavior inside priso

The main function of prisons is to keep the criminals away from law-abiding society. Note that the guy's accomplice continued his criminal behavior inside prison. That said, 10-15 is more than enough for this kind of crime.

Someone1234 12y ago
> That said, 10-15 is more than enough for this kind of crime. Indeed. When he gets two-three murders worth of time without murdering anyone, you really have to question the proportionality of the whole thing. They both definitely deserved jail time. I'm certain the crimes had an impact on the people they robbed and threatened. And I agree, 10-15, MAYBE up to 20 is proportionate. 90 years is not.
- vacri 12y ago
  20 years for two armed robberies is not remotely appropriate. It only seems appropriate in a system where people routinely get sentences longer than a standard lifespan. And it's not only from a moral standpoint - the economics of it are ridiculous, too. The social harm done from two robberies is not worth the cost of locking someone up until they die.
sickpig 12y ago
The main function of prisons is to keep the criminals away from law-abiding society Really? I thought it was about correcting/reforming.
- speeder 12y ago
  Depends on the country maybe? Here in Brazil no one believes criminals can be fixed, here we want them away, locked up or dead.
  - sickpig 12y ago
    They should change name from correctional facilities to something else then. Joking aside, I think that using prisons just for isolation is a waste of tax payer money. Just think about at the case at hand, we are wasting the money needed to keep this guy in jail for another 8 decades with no actual reasons. edit: fix grammar
    - mod 12y ago
      What's the alternative, in your mind?
    - speeder 12y ago
      Where, here in Brasil they are not called Correctional Facility! In fact the only place where I saw "Correctional Facility" was in US-movies and series, I thought it was some fictional name or something like that.
  - caf 12y ago
    It's not a matter of belief, it is a matter of demonstrable fact that some criminals are capable of completely reforming. To deny this is simply to deny reality. (It is also clearly apparent that some criminals are unreformable - telling the difference a priori remains the hard part).
- nyhc99 12y ago
  So an 18 year old kid gets busted for a drug offense. He gets thrown in jail for several years along with hardened and violent criminals. His "rehabilitation" consists of an immersion in a world of criminality, and when he is finally released, he has a record that will stay with him for the rest of his life and severely limit his choices moving forward. Yes, he's been reformed. Just not in a good way. Not in a way that does anything to try to fit him back into society.
- bradleyjg 12y ago
  The four recognized purposes of punishment are: deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution. Which is primary, or even whether they are all legitimate is a matter of fierce debate.

Someone1234 12y ago

> That said, 10-15 is more than enough for this kind of crime. Indeed. When he gets two-three murders worth of time without murdering anyone, you really have to question the proportionality of the whole thing. They both definitely deserved jail time. I'm certain the crimes had an impact on the people they robbed and threatened. And I agree, 10-15, MAYBE up to 20 is proportionate. 90 years is not.

vacri 12y ago
20 years for two armed robberies is not remotely appropriate. It only seems appropriate in a system where people routinely get sentences longer than a standard lifespan. And it's not only from a moral standpoint - the economics of it are ridiculous, too. The social harm done from two robberies is not worth the cost of locking someone up until they die.

sickpig 12y ago

The main function of prisons is to keep the criminals away from law-abiding society Really? I thought it was about correcting/reforming.

speeder 12y ago
Depends on the country maybe? Here in Brazil no one believes criminals can be fixed, here we want them away, locked up or dead.
- sickpig 12y ago
  They should change name from correctional facilities to something else then. Joking aside, I think that using prisons just for isolation is a waste of tax payer money. Just think about at the case at hand, we are wasting the money needed to keep this guy in jail for another 8 decades with no actual reasons. edit: fix grammar
  - mod 12y ago
    What's the alternative, in your mind?
  - speeder 12y ago
    Where, here in Brasil they are not called Correctional Facility! In fact the only place where I saw "Correctional Facility" was in US-movies and series, I thought it was some fictional name or something like that.
- caf 12y ago
  It's not a matter of belief, it is a matter of demonstrable fact that some criminals are capable of completely reforming. To deny this is simply to deny reality. (It is also clearly apparent that some criminals are unreformable - telling the difference a priori remains the hard part).
nyhc99 12y ago
So an 18 year old kid gets busted for a drug offense. He gets thrown in jail for several years along with hardened and violent criminals. His "rehabilitation" consists of an immersion in a world of criminality, and when he is finally released, he has a record that will stay with him for the rest of his life and severely limit his choices moving forward. Yes, he's been reformed. Just not in a good way. Not in a way that does anything to try to fit him back into society.
bradleyjg 12y ago
The four recognized purposes of punishment are: deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution. Which is primary, or even whether they are all legitimate is a matter of fierce debate.