Thursday, September 26, 2013
Crime and Punishment
After reading our discussion on public shaming, I get the sense that the majority of you are opposed to this idea. However, something needs to be done to more effectively reduce crime in the United States. I hope we can all agree on that point. Jails are overflowing. Even upon release from jail, many former prisoners enter society and are soon back for committing another crime, usually of a worse nature. Seldom a month goes by when we don't hear of a serious and tragic crime committed. So, what is the solution? How can we reduce crime? If you don't think public shaming will work, what will?
Source: National Prime Prevention Council
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Aside from public shaming, we still have many methods to punish laws-breakers and criminals. The most common punishment is imprisonment. According to the severity of the delinquency of the culprits, they are sentenced different years of imprisonment, from several months to the rest of their lives. During the time staying in jail, criminals are educated the right way to maintain a regular routine life, how to live with right behavior and how to communicate with their friends and families surrounding them and get used to modern society, since most of people who are inclined to behave anti-socially have psychological problems of socialization or they have been treated badly and have suffered great miseries during their childhoods, which easily sow the seeds of crime for their adulthoods. Prison guards and jail teachers are responsible to teach criminals how to go back to the outside world after they are released.
ReplyDeleteDeath penalty is rarely used when some states abolish it because of its cruelty, but, in my point of view, it cannot be denied that death penalty is an effective way of punishing criminals. For instance, a criminal who is accused of murdering a person, who did not do any bad to the killer, is suited for him or her to be sentenced death penalty. Because the best way to pay for a life killed is returning an equivalent which must be the murderer’s life. Despite the inhumanity of this kind of action, it warns other people do not do the wrong thing because the cost of it is fairly high.
Of course, the most useful measurement of preventing crimes is teaching people the harm brought by breaking laws, which should begin from primary education in kindergarten where we start to be exposed to the complex society that is full of enticement and crime. This could solve the problem of increasing rate of transgressions fundamentally in the united stated.
I have been dethroned as the first commenter!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when I read the topic I immediately though of both the privatization of prisons and the amount of people being I prisons for petty drug crimes. The former is pretty straight forward, the federal government is have issues with budgeting so they gave the responsibility of making and operating prisons to private companies that often are in it for just profit. This has lead to corruption of the system to the point that being humane is a second thought; over crowding not being such an issue.
The latter is what I wanted to write about so here it goes. Drug use and distribution has been very illegal esspecily since the "War on Drugs" started. Simply possesing an ounce of weed will get you in jail for atleast a night with no previous record. If you have a little bit more (enough for more than just one person) you can get hit with intent to sell which basically labels you as a drug dealer in the eyes of everyone who sees your record from then on. If you are caught more than a few times with illegal substances, you could be looking at years behind bars. You can be fined at any level of possesion for a good hunk of money (and twice as much in a school zone).
I don't want to be the guy that writes an essay here, so overall my idea about the over crowding of prisons is that it is unnessecary. I found some statistics [http://bit.ly/1h9c3Re] here that said "there were 197,050 sentenced prisoners under federal jurisdiction. Of these, 94,600 were serving time for drug offenses". Many kids our age are being busted for having some drug that they were pressured into trying and now have a criminal record that can't be erased. Before you ask, I don't smoke, but I think that it is absolutely rediculous that so many people are being thrown in jail because the law said not to have weed in your pocket. Drug dealers deserve it in my opinion (especially if they are dealing to young kids) but how many people's lives have been ruined because they were stopped and frisked "randomly".
Moral: Stay in school anddon't hang out by the handbell court all day, we all know what's going on there.
I agree with what Edward says, too many people are using illegal substances, but they shouldn’t be punished for their mistakes by being sentenced to a prison term, instead they should be getting help in a rehabilitation center. Lots of times these drug users are just kids that made a bad decision, and they shouldn’t have to pay for it for the rest of their lives. When they are first caught, sending them to a night in jail won’t fix their problem, it won’t stop them from going back out the next day and doing what they did all over again. Instead of wasting jail space, these kids should be sent to a rehabilitation center, where they can be in a safe environment and be treated before the problem escalates. If these kids go to prison, they will have to face real criminals like murderers and rapists, and who knows what they will have to deal with behind those gates. Even when they get out, their life won’t be any better. Its very difficult to find a job even without a prison sentence under your name, and all because of a stupid mistake, these first time offenders will have a difficult time finding work, and may have to resort to actual crimes like robbery in order to survive. If instead of going to prison, drug users were sent to mandatory rehabilitation centers, then they could get help instead of facing prison life. I would only consider this for the drug users, however dealers should be sent away for much longer for putting their drugs in the hands of these kids.
DeleteThe United States holds 5% of the world’s population, but we also hold almost a quarter of the entire world’s prisoners. (http://nyti.ms/RnZlBV) The main reason that I believe that more people commit crimes, not just drug users, is that the punishment for crimes are too leniant. In countries with low incarceration rates, the punishment for some crimes is death, where in the United States, the punishment for the same crime is a short prison term. I’m not saying we need to be as drastic as to give the death penalty for most crimes, but longer prison terms and more restrictions would discourage people from performing a crime.
I have to make this joke...
Delete"how many people's lives have been ruined because they were stopped and FRISKED 'randomly'."
Edward Friske
I agree with Edward when he says too many young people are going to jail for the possession of weed, and this is a problem. I would say maybe instead of going to jail, they could go to a rehabilitation center, but these young people would begin to abuse it, because rehabilitation for smoking and a clean record sounds a lot better than time in prison. I would say maybe if we offer the people who have just come out of prison a better second chance, it would lower their chances on going back to prison, because most of them are turned away from jobs because of their record and end up back in jail. Now, the only issue with this is that in order to be fair, every person released from prison would have a second chance no matter what their crime was, which is almost like erasing their crime, which is not okay. Also this would not be fair to the young adults who have done the right thing all their lives and who have graduated with a degree and struggle with criminals to get a job. My answer to this problem would be to give these criminals a second chance with restrictions.
DeleteThe problem of jails and prison overflowing with a large amount of inmates doesn't really have a clear solution some people it can't be helped either they are just sick and twisted or they don't lose that mentality they had in prison. In prison their freedom is taken away and they are confined with others who are at the same level of dangerous as them or even higher so they do what is needed to survive in prison there is violence. To lower the numbers the best way at least how I see it you would have to start with those who come in the first time (depending on the crime). Most of the prisoners are not well educated and well they return to society they don't know what to do and don't have a job so they will end up back in jail. Maybe if they offer programs to teach them how to do certain jobs and teach them the skills that will be needed they won't end up back there. The United States does have more people in prison than other countries which is bad but most of those other countries aren't as advanced as the U.S. and have murders and rapist walking in their streets so in a way its not that bad but there really shouldn't be so many in jail.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jorge's statement, "they don't lose that mentality", because most come out with the same mentality that they were imprisoned for. Society sees criminals as very violent and uneducated people, so the best solution is to put them in prison. Well how can they become better people if they are put into a place with others that are just like them? While in prison, they're treated well. They are given food, clothes, small jobs, medicines, they're allowed television and recreational time. Its basically like a vacation. If these are the bad people of the US then why are they treated well? I understand that there are documentaries in which inmates talk about how difficult life was in prison, but mostly because of the inmate on inmate violence. In my opinion they shouldn't complain because they are given better opportunities than some in our society. These people are imprisoned for murder, rape, drug deals, gang violence, theft and countless other reasons, yet they are given the chance to create a better "career" while in prison, meanwhile there are high school graduates that have no criminal records that can't afford to go to colleges to create a career for themselves. Another point that I find messed up is that inmates are allowed free medicines while they are ill. I think that is wrong because they are other people in our country that struggle to put food on their tables and are denied medication because of their inability to pay for it, but here are these people that have done wrong and are given free medicine. They are also given three hot meals daily, when there are people that can't even have one hot meal a day. Generally speaking they find prison as an easy ride. Why do these people deserve a second chance? My answer they don't, especially if they've been imprisoned for murder because think about it, the person they killed doesn't receive a second chance. Our jail system is backwards, instead of getting treated as criminals they retreated with fairness, which is why they leave at the end of their sentence and return shortly later. How can we reduce crime and the amount of returning inmates? Easily, make life hell for them. Feed them once, maybe twice a day. Don't allow them recreational time or medicines. Give them strenuous jobs and if they're murders, then eliminate them. Instead of following their civil rights, treat them like the code of Hammurabi, "an eye for an eye", because let's face it, they lost their rights when they committed a crime.
DeletePrisons may be overflowing but that doesn't mean 100% that our methods currently are flawed. Shaming people into doing the right thing is out of date as the majority of us can agree on. During the time period in “The Scarlet Letter” death was a very popular punishment used. That was a major reason as to why crime was little to nothing in that age. Many would agree to this punishment (referring to death) as only eliminating the bad in the world. Others would say the criminals deserve to die for the bad they have done, but there were and still are many flaws to this type of punishment for example what if someone was accused of committing murder but then years later new evidence showed the person to be not guilty. Now you have taken a life that didn’t deserve to be taken. Me personally, I think the whole theory of death as punishment is strictly barbaric, and what is worse than rotting in a jail with no rights to freedom? It’s ironic how we as citizens aren’t allowed to kill no matter if it was for the good of man but some states that still use the death penalty are doing the same thing. I feel as though therapy should be used more often. A lot of the times many of crimes being committed have been the result of anger or rage held within. Therapy should be emphasized and encouraged more so that it can prevent rage more before one can commit a felony. At working places and school, students and workers should visit the therapist at least once every two weeks. Yes this would cost more money but less than putting people in jail and providing each person with food and a cell.
ReplyDeleteI have to respectfully disagree with a few points of Jenifer's comment. I believe that yes, therapy is helpful for some types of criminals but not all.
DeleteLife behind bars is not as "freedom ridden" as we might think. There is a whole new kind of society in there, cigarettes and common goods are a form of currency, and there are different classes and jobs for people. I'm not saying that it is a nice place, no not at all, but in many cases, killings and crimes in prison are committed so that the person may stay in custody; they believe that it is easier for them to just live in a place where shelter, medical attention and meals are provided. It makes sense in a way, do you think it would be simple for an ex-criminal to serve their sentence, and return to our society and be accepted?
Overpopulation is a serious issue, so much of our country's finances are being put into the lives of our "evil-doers", and although not all are guilty of heinous acts, they have made mistakes and should be punished accordingly.
I don't want to get too political or controversial, but I personally believe those that have raped, or hurt children multiple times should be punished in the harshest way. If you can dehumanize someone in that way you are a waste of life.
I agree with Edward's point, as i personally think that those in jail for drug related crimes have no business being in jail at all as they are just filling up wanted space. I believe that at this day and age certain people don't even care if they go to jail or not because they don't feel as they aren't worth anything in life and give up easily, taking the easy way out , such as selling illegal drugs to make a living. Also, younger generations are easily falling into all the mishaps that the older generations are doing, trying desperately trying to grow up faster than they should and forget to just enjoy life. I think that we need to start with the younger kids and educate them about the right ways to succeed in life as well as being a strong support system for them not slacking and letting them get influenced in the wrong things. As for those already involved in heinous crimes such as robbery, rape and aggravated assault, they should be counseled in special programs and motivated to do better for themselves instead of being thrown in a cell, fighting for their lives and being kept hidden from society rather than getting a second chance to prove something for themselves. I believe our society complains about how awful the upcoming generations are but don't make an effort to doing something about this growing situation as we are the future generation to run this country. We should straighten ourselves up and fight to keep kids and teens from making bad decisions that will keep them locked away forever.
ReplyDeleteWow, you don't have the entire class disagreeing with you this time! Nice job, Bridgett!
DeleteI agree with Bridgett's opinion on the younger generation. I don't mean to sound too cliche, but they are the future, and they need to maintain a positive mindset in order to become productive members of society. Instilling positive values in younger generations is always important, but with the prison overcrowding we are experiencing today and may be dealing with for some time, it is vital to the nation's future. Although I feel that it is ultimately up to the parents to "keep tabs" on their children and make sure that they are doing the right thing, we also need better role models and more youth programs to motivate children to do better than the generation that came before them. I also agree with Bridgett's point that people currently in jail for certain crimes should receive counseling. It will not only free up space in prisons, but may be less expensive because there is no need to provide them with food, medicine, etc. I do believe that the death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous offenses, but I understand why some people would rather see them "suffer" in prison, although most of you have already pointed out that convicts are actually living pretty decent lives behind bars. Ultimately, I think it would be a good idea to require those in the prison system without a high school diploma get a GED or work out some deal to bring a technical program into the facility so that when prisoners are released, they're less inclined to end up back behind bars.
So, the younger generation needs programs and support to keep them out of jail and those already in prison should have similar programs so that they can find their footing once they're out of prison. Or we can, like, stop giving people outrageous sentences for petty crimes, as mostly all of you have already suggested. Or give more people the death penalty. Or ban gangster rap. Or get the advice of someone way more qualified than me to offer an opinion on the prison system.
The problem with jails overflowing is that society and justice system are really focused on drug dealers and gang members. Lets just take the time and see how long a drug dealer and gang member is sentenced to jail. I mean we can stop this for starters by not giving a gang member and drug dealer so much jail time. I mean when you're a drug dealer, once you're in, you're in same thing goes for a gang member. Lets face it they will never stop what they are doing. Lets show more focus on the murders, rapists, burglars ect. i honestly don't believe in the death sentence but the way the justice system is going i wouldn't mind having it. I mean look at it this way. A man killed another man. A life for a life. Yes i know the whole saying an "eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". But didn't most of society want that kid who shot the sandy hook elementary school dead? Same thing for George Zimmerman. i mean we can argue about how the death sentence is wrong but you can't lie at a time when you saw these brutal killings you wanted that criminal dead. So why not do it? we as a country have tried everything. But the jails are still overflowing and the killers are still killing. Its time to put this problem and the criminals to an end. in my opinion
ReplyDeleteIm going to have to disagree with you Ambar. But i do see your point on wanting a ciminal that was convicted of a horrible murder, to get the same treatment, which would be the death sentence. But just because we want something doesn't give us the right to have it. Laws were made so we wouldn't have chaos, not to use it to create chaos.
DeleteTo most people a convict with always be a convict. In the eyes of society, yes in the eyes of legally terms, yes but there are many cases where ex convicts that were rehabilitated , and chose to do something positive with their life. A good way to decrease crime rates, that i thought would help is that ex convicts that are living good lives should go to the prisons they were released from, and try to talk to inmates they knew while they were in there, or talk to the convicts that got in to prison for the same, or similar crimes that the ex convict did. I feel as if cons would talk to a fellow con, and be more open with the ex con, instead of a therapist that's just there for a check instead of being there to help. I always believed that if a man truly wants something to happen, he'll go out, and do it, despite any circumstances. An ex con would be the perfect push the cons need in order to build a successful life for themselves, because the ex con has seen what they saw, and went through the same treatment society gave to them. .If prisons gave cons a friendly face, instead of a mindless gun with a itchy trigger finger, then maybe when the convicts were released they wouldn't need to take the mentality of their prison life everywhere they went. Althrough this process would take some to work, but i think having a plan that take some time, but works, is better then a plan that takes no time, and barely succeeds.
I disagree with Ambar because death sentence was once used and as you can it is now, not being used. How about those innocent people who have been put into prison and later have been discovered not guilty? If they would have had a death sentence that would've been an innocent life taken, like a murder. However as Edward pointed out before I also believe that drug related criminals should not be put into prison, if not a rehab. At the end of the day if they did not learn after rehab it's because they have chosen to and nothing can't be done to stop their personal choice. I believe murders and crimes such as rape which scar a innocent persons life should receive life sentence in prison, but less aggressive crimes as in robbery should have less time in prison and house arrest could also be used so jails don't overflow.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Genesis. I don’t believe you actually understood what Ambar was attempting to say. So technically this means I agree with Ambar. The death penalty should be implemented more. For the cases that are life sentences, the sentence should just be death. Those criminals are taking up space in prisons waiting for what ultimately will happen. And the second and third time offenders should also be sentenced to death because clearly they are not going to change their ways. Maybe (this is just an idea), thieves should be given a smaller sentencing. This would allow for the prisons to open up more space for other criminals.
DeleteOkay, lets be honest, CRIME WILL NEVER END. There is actually in my opinion no possible way to stop crime. In reality, individuals know what they are doing and the consequences that follow. If i were to murder a person, i would know that a prison sentence would follow. The conflict with jails overflowing is from the simple fact that too many people are committing crimes. Which means mentally, they do not care what will happen to them as far as a jail sentence. As Jorge stated earlier, inmates know that their freedom has been taken away, therefore they will do anything to survive. What mentality does this give to both society in prison and out? That there is no surprise.If they rob, steal, or kill the consequence will be the same, jail. Of course NO ONE wants to actually go to prison. But what would actually stop them...DEATH is the only thing. Of course the United States doesn't/shouldn't have to take matters that far, so while this mercy on criminals lasts, crime will never come to an end. Now, death may actually seem a bit "cruel" as far as punishment, but if freedom is taken away, what do you have to live for?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Travon, crime will never stop thats reality, and finding a way to reduce it difficult as well. Yes, prisons and jails are overflowing but what can we ACTUALLY do to stop this ? I personally fell like the reason people commit crimes is either because they have a mental issue, they are having problem with themselves as a person in this world, or they are desperate. This past years we have all seen the tragic crimes that have been committed starting from public shootings to bombings at open events. As we listen and learn the details to why such thing would have happened we all come to the conclusion that that certain criminal had some sort of mental illness, or issue. This seemed to be a repeating characteristic when it came to these criminals. I believe the focus on reducing crime should be the mental state of some of these unstable beings.
DeleteI am going to have to seriously agree with Travon here. I agree that crime is a constant in any society, as there are those who will always be tempted to evil, and stray away from good. To many, the consequences for breaking the law as it stands are severe, but there still are those who would take the risk of being caught for their own justified reasons. Whether it be money, power, politics, passion, or just someone's own twisted sense of justice, there will always be lawbreakers. The death penalty, although severe, would certainly number down the people who were in jail, as well those who would be swayed to commit crimes. Those who are sentenced to life in prison basically don't have a life anyway, and it would logistically make sense to get rid of them to free up space, as well as set examples. I don't completely agree with the ethics of having people put to death, though, as I feel each and every life has some significance. If even the option of death was legal in all states, I feel like that would deter people from committing crimes, even if the execution of people was rarely or never carried out.
DeleteI agree with Travon, crime will never end as long as people have the choice to either do what is morally correct or to commit wrong doing. People who are released after being incarcerated tend to return to their mischievous temperaments because correctional facilities are only doing half their jobs. The facilities may keep these criminals from endangering society, however if a criminals sentence is not set for life, he or she will have to successfully undergo intense rehabilitation to learn how to function in society if they are to be released.
DeleteI have to agree with Travon. We all know that crime is an act that none of us have any control in putting to a halt. If someone wants to commit a murder, robbery or rape, they're fully inclined to do it. They know what they're putting themselves into & no matter how much we instill into people that crime is wrong, their are some who couldn't careless about the consequences of these actions or the reasons to why they are unacceptable. The best option we have to declining the crime rate would be allowing the prisoners to see what their path of life has brought them. Instead of having a person who commits a brutal crime be eliminated by lethal injection, have them suffer and put into an area with even more harsher criminals. They are bound to be tortured by the inmates in there. Jeffrey Dahmer was placed into an area with a harsher inmate [Christopher Scarver] who didn't take into the liking of the types of victims he killed & how he annihilated them, so he took matters into his own hands & beat Jeffrey mercifully with a 20 pound metal bar. Allowing inmates to suffer at the hands of other inmates, would only slightly bring about a revelation in the minds of criminals as to what their fate in jail would be as a result of them committing crimes.
DeleteI too would have to agree with Travon and the rest of you. For the reason being that people are set to be evil, and that is the nature of human beings, and we cannot stop that nature of people. Like John Calvin’s theory of predestination, people are who they are, and we can’t help that act. These people who are committing crime however are doing it most for poverty reasons, and their child hood, of how they were raised without a strong parental supervision, and these leads them to commit such crimes, of which their parents might have not viewed to. The point of view of the criminals themselves, like you have stated is what sets this mind set. The mentality of most of these criminals are to survive, and this leads to a greater crime rate, so in my opinion the best way to deal with crime is to change these people’s minds sets to make them see the world in a different view that reflects a model for society and they should be learning this we their jail sentence, if they’re going to be in jail, well they might as well do something productive with their lives, over wasting tax payers money, and space for the real criminals.
DeleteI agree with you Josué because people commit crimes and break laws every day except only some get punished or caught so the rest just keep doing the same thing because it is human nature to commit evil and break the rules, although the reasons for their acting out might greatly differ because with the way that the economy is today jobs are hard to come by so some people get desperate and commit crimes such as robbery to support their families. However I am not justifying that people go out and start robbing businesses or people, but I feel like you also have to be sympathetic for the people who feel like they have no other choice but to steal. Overall I feel like there is no solution to solving the crime rate in the United States because every person who commits their crime has their different reason so therefore there wouldn’t be just one thing that you can do to stop criminals for recommitting crime or committing it in the first place. I feel like there is not anything that can be done about crime rates until the economy gets better in the United States because I feel like that is the root of the reason many crimes occur.
DeleteI agree with Aidan's point. Jail is not a nice place to be in, but for criminals, they'd rather live in what they have known than return back to a society that has changed so much. Because they know that life "isn't so bad" in jail they don't care about ever getting out and some don't care about ever even getting in in the first place. This could be prevented with harsher punishments. Not necessarily death because Jen had a good point too, what if they were innocent. It's too late now because they're dead. That is why a lot of focus should go into making sure the right call is made. And if they are in fact guilty of commiting a crime such as rape, then a harsher punishment than jail and easier punishment than death should be inflicted.
ReplyDeleteObjection! You are overlooking the problem of how are current society is influencing crime rates. Simply adding more punishments, types of ways to criminalize people, and more places to store these law breakers will not change the fact if we do not change our society we will not change the violence.
ReplyDeleteThe United States have the highest incarceration rate in the world and it took far more than a lack of punishment to get to that point. Sure we can call everyone a horrible criminal and use things such as torture to completely deter crimes. "Hey while we are at it why do we just jail anyone who even thinks of such horrendous things. I mean one thing all crimes have in common is that all of the criminals had access to their brains at the time." No, that is exactly how the whole big brother concept begins and only one mindset is allowed.
If we as a society truly want to get rid of crime we need to do things such as fix the economy so people are not driven to the desperation to steal. (It is not fun to be at the bottom.) However things such as murder are a bit tricky, but we can fix that too.
Most murders we see are committed by people with past mental illnesses ,and were also at some point put on a narcotic. This is the problem, our society turns to uses these chemicals as the first result without considering all the patient may have needed was someone to be on their side. They do not take into account they may have just screwed up a perfectly healthy brain chemistry and furthermore someone's life, personality, and judgement. Handing out these chemicals like candy may have left behind a deadly bill to pay.
Or we can continue this routine and hope a different result comes from it.
It is evident that not one day passes by without crime being committed. However, simply acknowledging this fact will not provide a solution towards reducing criminal activity and or enhancing correctional facilities. Although various factors such as mental health, the media, financial setbacks, etc. also contribute to the increase of criminal activity, I believe that the root of the predicament is the lack of successful rehabilitation systems in correctional facilities. The facilities may keep these criminals from endangering society, however if a criminal's sentence is not set for life, he or she will have to successfully undergo intensive rehabilitation to learn how to function in society if they are to be released. One reason why some criminals who are released from prison commit crime again is that under law one is to be released after serving their time, even if they may be still psychologically incapable of functioning in society. Due to the failing economy and lack of financial support, despite billions spent on tax dollars annually, some correctional facility systems have no other option but to release criminals without further interest of whether he or she will be a threat to society. However, we can step outside the box and aim to prevent future chances of criminal activity by aiding communities with risk factors that could influence criminal activity such as poverty and lack of education. At school or home children should be placed in positive and safe environments where they can be exposed to the benefits of good decision-making and consequences of crime. Intense psychological screenings should be done for people of all ages and trouble signs should not be ignored so that criminal activity does not occur in the first place. Though in reality it seems that crime will never end, this is only so because it is difficult to prevent it from occurring. People are simply unpredictable, however, in times of need there are always good people who can help others get to a better place. Overall, it difficult to accept that crime will always exist when people choose to do wrong, but until society can be on the same page (which may never happen), we will all just have to endure the consequences of people actions and help each other recover when the damage is done.
ReplyDelete