According to government study, 1/32 americans were in prison or on parole last year

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&ncid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20020825/ap_on_go_ot/corrections_population_2
Other stuff the story doesnt mention:

The United States currently holds more than two million citizens behind bars, 500,000 more than China, a country with almost four times the population. Prison expansion has occurred so quickly that state prisons are operating from 13-22 percent over capacaty and federal prisons are on average 27 percent over capacaty.

What should we make of this?

1. Americans are natural born criminals?

2. Human beings are naturaly born unethical and this prison system is best at catching perfectly normal behaivor?

3. The society is deeply flawed and most of the people in prison dont deserve to be there?

My theory is that prisons are replacing the industrial revolution's workforce as a source of cheap labor. Think about it. No one wants to defend so-called drug dealers, gang members, immigrants etc. because there so easy to hate. Theres no vacation time or unions or healthcare or any other crap. In 1999, more than 30 states had passed laws legalizing private prison labor and sure enough companies like honda micorsoft and delta airlines are (ab)using it. And since your right to vote is suspended once your imprisoned you cant change it. Drug-related offenses are the fastest growing cause to getting in jail- maybe thats why legalization isnt being seriously considered. Plus, many of the people in prison wouldnt have jobs or homes wihtout the prison (think of addicts, starving etc.)- these high numbers artificially deflate the homless rate and the unemployment rate.

4. The society is deeply flawed and the people in prison deserve to be there.

Yes...if we would just legalise drugs, 50% of everyone in jail wouln't be there...but oh no. Having a trunk full of weed is going to get you 25 years in fuck-you-in-the-ass prison. Spekaing of fucking, prison rapes have been rising recently and sometimes it's even completely out of control in some prisons. So lets see...distributing weed to your friends = being gangraped and enslaved for the rest of your natural life. I'd much rather kill myself, thank you very much.

3.

yikes, I am lucky to live in a civilized country where people are law obedient and the government doesn't kill people.

Crack sellers go to jail longer than rapists in NY... even the judge cant help you its mandatory

If you care a deal about these things, you should work towards a position where one day you can influence them.

"They're gonna build a prison! They're gonna build a prison... for you and me."

If people are in prison for drugs, then they can't protest or vote. Also Prisons are becoming a business with privately run Super Maxes. Some are probably so crammed that prisoners accidently get up each other's butts.

Two rules: Don't get busted for drugs and don't even attempt to fuck with any Republicans or rich people. They'll make up laws if they have to and charge you repeatedly for one "crime" under fifty different applicable laws.

A women stole a video tape of Bush practicing for debate and mailed it to the Gore camp. She was convicted of theft, mail fraud, and who knows what else, and given I think 10 years in prison with a 10,000 dollar fine.

pritch said:

If you care a deal about these things, you should work towards a position where one day you can influence them.

theres no such thing. a rule with politics; To get into politics, you have to sell yourself. once that is sold, there is nothing worth 'influencing'. you simply become another player in a game of who's the best liar.

I went to see Tool last night... and after the first two songs, Maynard said "Good evening. We would like to take this moment to apologize for our country."

I couldn't agree more.

There are two main resions for this (IMO):

1)The American media and education system preaches about freedom, but not the responsibility that goes with it.

2)Rather then dealing with why people are committing crimes in the first place, they’re just making tougher and tougher laws, with longer and longer sentences. witch just makes a bad situation worse.

pritch said:

If you care a deal about these things, you should work towards a position where one day you can influence them.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

If only it were that easy...

Dont China execute their drug dealers?

And send a bill for the cost of the bullet to their next of kin.

BTW I forgot to ask, is it in "proson" or on "proson"?

fodders said:

BTW I forgot to ask, is it in "proson" or on "proson"?

Heh...I just noticed that 10 seconds before I read your post. I think he meant pr0nson.

Simple reason: The American legal system is too quick to put people in prison. And American prisoners have a better standard of life than most other country's free citizens, or even better than the cons would have outside the joint.

Did you know the California prison system has the best elderly care in the world? Fully budgeted, full service, and they can't turn you down for anything.

Criminals should get rehabilitation, not penalty.

My theory is that a lot of young people, especially those that take dope, have discovered these strange things called laws. Wait a minute, I haven't seen Orion post in a while...

Fredrik said:

Criminals should get rehabilitation, not penalty.

I fully agree. Being exposed to gang fights, rapes, random beatings, and such is just going to make a person become even more violent. Why escalate the problem when we can try to elimenate it by giving these people psycological help (or perhaps drug treatment in some circumstances).

Fredrik said:

Criminals should get rehabilitation, not penalty.

Excactly.

I hate how the petty thugs oppresed and confused end up behing bars for the majority of their lives while the REAL drug dealers (CEO's of REAL drug companies like pfizer, coca-cola, coffee companies, etc.) murderes (see other posts), and theifs run the planet.

You can change the world without entering "politics." Anyone can

Xian

Far far far left

heh.

Building prisons is a huge business in the States. Prisons are expensive and the companies that build them want to see more and more people behind the bars so they "fund" certain politicians who make decisions about laws.

Waldon said:

Building prisons is a huge business in the States. Prisons are expensive and the companies that build them want to see more and more people behind the bars so they "fund" certain politicians who make decisions about laws.

These same people are also calling for the privitization of state prisons. That would make things very interesting.

Fredrik said:

Criminals should get rehabilitation, not penalty.

Rehabilitation does not do much good when in the end all you can do is to let them back out to their poor, crime infested neighborhoods, without a chance to get a job.

Waldon said:

Rehabilitation does not do much good when in the end all you can do is to let them back out to their poor, crime infested neighborhoods, without a chance to get a job.

I think some prisons have programs that hook people up with a place and a job when they get out on parole. That seems to be a good way to do it.

Xian, you sir, have too much time on your hands.

Politicians get elected and re-elected by making laws as tough as possible and putting away as many people as possible, especially Texas judges who are elected not appointed. Actual justice is irrelevent. They don't get elected by promising to rehabilitate "criminals" or even promising to make sure that only the guilty are convicted.

I have heard, that the US-government gains a big income by taking away the property of the arrested persons. Someone goes to jail and Uncle Sam takes his stuff.

Peter Heinemann said:

I have heard, that the US-government gains a big income by taking away the property of the arrested persons. Someone goes to jail and Uncle Sam takes his stuff.

Its called confiscation. If a person is going away to jail for life and they have no family to give away their crap to then then the government sells the house and keeps the cash. They also sell unclaimed items that a person stole. I've gone to a few police auctions and my God dude, they have some good stuff. They sold a house valued at $150,000 for $15,000.