2.1 million people are in US prisons...is something wrong here?
Yes, they have broken the law, and don't give me a lame excuse that "I;ve never broken the law." Everyone has, even if you rolled through a stop sign... you have broken the law...
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Yes, something is wrong. We have this tendency to think that if something is wrong it should also be illegal. We criminalize all manner of behaviors that we deem wrong but that have no victims. Drug use and prostitution come to mind.
Our prisons are full of people who have been arrested for drugs. Our jails are full of prostitutes. In many cases, these people are already victims, and we just victimize them more. We steal their youth. We ostracize them, force their association with hardened criminals and by the time they get out it is difficult for them to become productive members of society. So in the end the cost we pay is not just for extra prisons and police, but for lives lost along with any contributions they may have made later in life.
We spend too much money locking up people who could otherwise be paying taxes and contributing to society.
As if it weren’t already bad enough, the black markets that arise around these illicit behaviors go to fund other undesirable underworld activities and funnel money, which might otherwise wind up in public coffers, into other criminal endeavors.
it is called an increase in population. And if you dig deeper. You will find that nearly 25% are illegal aliens
yeah the problem is how many of them are illegals.
and our tax dollars paying for
- housing
- food
- cable tv (federal laws require this to be in prisions - and our tax dollars foot the bills)
- free education
Yes, that is wrong with American society to constitute one of the highest per capita rates of incarceration internationally?
That is of course no inclusive of those on probation, in half way houses or under house arrest.
i..... just... dont..... know.....but...
Your comparing apples to oranges, rolling through a stop sign is not a Felony or violant or drug crime!!
Not to sound racist but much of this can be attributed to the severe minority problem we have here. 50% or more of our prison population is a minority. There must be a reason why they are going to prison in such high numbers but I don't know what it is.
I guess you should consider the ratios to compare it to other nations, not saying we have to be the same but within range, sure.
As for the other side of the coin, think about the laws. Some people are in jail for the most petty crimes. There's a kid in Sacramento who has been in jail 6 years for stealing $140 worth of items. There is obviously a flaw in the law.
there is something wrong with the prison system here in the U.S. We need to start a prisoner lottery,when they go to prison they get a number,every day say 5 numbers a day are picked from every prison and these inmates are terminated.no matter what they are in for they are in the lotto pool.I think it would do good to show other criminals there is a good possibility they could die for stealing that car or purse
Americans prefer living in a police state rather than having freedom. This is a logical result.
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