5 ms·

Personally I'm all for harsh sentences for violent offenders, but once your sentence is up (for any crime) that should be the end of it. You should have all th

by tsotha 11y ago

Personally I'm all for harsh sentences for violent offenders, but once your sentence is up (for any crime) that should be the end of it. You should have all the rights non-incarcerated people have - free association, voting, gun ownership. On the jobs side I have no idea what the right thing to do is. On one hand if people with criminal records can't get jobs you're pretty much forcing them to return to a life of crime. But on the other hand... if I'm hiring people I'll only hire a guy with a serious criminal record if I can't find anyone else. That's just self preservation.

zyxley 11y ago
> Personally I'm all for harsh sentences for violent offenders Why? There's no clear evidence that particularly harsh sentences actually reduce recidivism.
- tsotha 11y ago
  I don't really care if it reduces recidivism or not. If you commit a violent crime you deserve to be in jail.
- waterlesscloud 11y ago
  What it does do is prevent the violent offenders from committing crimes against the citizenry for the duration of the sentence.
  - s73v3r 11y ago
    Is there any evidence that one violent act means that a person will likely commit more?
    - tsotha 11y ago
      I would have a hard time believing that isn't the case, but I'm open to any evidence you have.
      - s73v3r 11y ago
        Wouldn't the burden of proof be on those asserting that someone who commits one violent crime needs to be put away so they won't commit more?
        tsotha 11y ago
        Nope. You're staking out a position that's counter-intuitive, so you're the one who has to get the data ball rolling.
cmdrfred 11y ago
The majority of people are incarcerated for non violent offences, if you give lesser sentences to those people and not give them a criminal record it would solve most of your issues.
- tsotha 11y ago
  Yeah, I think violence is a pretty clear dividing line. I'm not particularly interested in trying to eradicate petty crime by putting hookers, pot dealers, and scam artists away for long periods of time. Even if it worked (and it doesn't) it wouldn't be just.
DanBC 11y ago
Previous episode of violence is a reasonable predictor of future violent behaviour. I'm not sure that gun ownership for violent people is a good idea.
- tsotha 11y ago
  I'm not sure it is either, but as far as I'm concerned when a sentence is over it's over, and as a society we ought to give ex-cons a chance to prove they can become upstanding citizens.

by tsotha 11y ago

zyxley 11y ago

> Personally I'm all for harsh sentences for violent offenders Why? There's no clear evidence that particularly harsh sentences actually reduce recidivism.

tsotha 11y ago
I don't really care if it reduces recidivism or not. If you commit a violent crime you deserve to be in jail.
waterlesscloud 11y ago
What it does do is prevent the violent offenders from committing crimes against the citizenry for the duration of the sentence.
- s73v3r 11y ago
  Is there any evidence that one violent act means that a person will likely commit more?
  - tsotha 11y ago
    I would have a hard time believing that isn't the case, but I'm open to any evidence you have.
    - s73v3r 11y ago
      Wouldn't the burden of proof be on those asserting that someone who commits one violent crime needs to be put away so they won't commit more?
      - tsotha 11y ago
        Nope. You're staking out a position that's counter-intuitive, so you're the one who has to get the data ball rolling.

cmdrfred 11y ago

The majority of people are incarcerated for non violent offences, if you give lesser sentences to those people and not give them a criminal record it would solve most of your issues.

tsotha 11y ago
Yeah, I think violence is a pretty clear dividing line. I'm not particularly interested in trying to eradicate petty crime by putting hookers, pot dealers, and scam artists away for long periods of time. Even if it worked (and it doesn't) it wouldn't be just.

DanBC 11y ago

Previous episode of violence is a reasonable predictor of future violent behaviour. I'm not sure that gun ownership for violent people is a good idea.

tsotha 11y ago
I'm not sure it is either, but as far as I'm concerned when a sentence is over it's over, and as a society we ought to give ex-cons a chance to prove they can become upstanding citizens.