What do you think the prison system should be for?

That's awesome... Although somewhat sick.

 

LOL. I know right. If they didn't have to do hard labor all day tons of Americans would be heading to China just to throw a rock through a window when the plane landed.

 

That isn't describing a reason, it's describing an act. What is the purpose of punishing criminals?

 

This is why I divided rehabilitation from punishment.

Punishment in this poll means punishment for the sake of punishment. To "get back at someone". Because "they deserve it".

Whereas punishment for the purpose of rehabilitation or punishment for the purpose of deterrence is to be recorded under those options.

EDIT: I don't think I made that clear enough given the poll numbers. Either that or people are eejits.

 

They do focus on rehabilitation. I did 2 1/2 years in state prison.

 

Nowadays people who get stabbed and raped in prison (for the most part) are those that go into prison and act in the same manner if not worse as when they were on the outside.

 

LOL. Giving people the opportunity to rape and murder, when they are supposed to be being punished for breaking laws, is like sending a child to detention for fighting and in detention there is a ring and an announcer with a mic saying, "let's get ready to rumble!!!". It quite literally makes ZERO sense. Prison should be isolation, and only for those who we wish never to recover as a society.

 

I think Americans should go back to the Brit system of the late 19th century when there were over 100 capital crimes. You would certainly save money and repeat crime by individuals would cease. Heck, good idea eh? Hang 'em all !

 

As long as those 100 crimes were white collar, which is literally destroying our society, I would see no problem in that. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

Do you know how much money it would cost to isolate every single inmate. Its not just the ones that are hardened thugs who kill. Also, you go to prison and commit further crime you get more charges now, and get more time. Thats a big reason why that type of stuff died down a great deal.

 

Also, aside from the monetary cost. Enforced isolation has a massive pyschological effect. How does one expect these people to reintegrate to society?

 

Prison, even without isolation, has a psychological effect. Have you ever heard of institutionalization? Prison's not a place to send anyone you ever want to come back, and why "laws" and "justice" is not a thing to play with. Outside of people who steal, no non-violent offender should ever be sent to prison. Sure, some people actually successfully integrate back into society after a prison stint in America, but they are few and far between. If you did away with drug crimes, we would have more than enough money and resources to incarcerate all in isolation, including sex offenders who should NEVER be released. Let alone released as easy as they are now. Some don't even go to prison. That's disgusting.

 

In America the recidivism rate is 60-70% whereas in Norway it is 20%.

20% is a hell of a lot better and suggests rehabilitation is possible. I agree with using prison less and decriminalising drugs but I do not agree with keeping people in isolation (although definitely ending gangs inside prisons).

 

It want all that bad actually, and I went to 4 different state prisons. There are all kinds of good courses and classes to attend. And unless your planning on keeping them in there forever, participation in programs like therapeutic community is much better than isolation. I was considered a violent offender and did 2 and a half years. You would have rather me did it in isolation and come out talking like charles manson?

 

Just to be clear, by isolation do you mean solitary confinement? I was under the impression you meant simply keeping them away from non-criminals.

 

I meant solitary confinement. Keeping criminals away from non-criminals makes sense but in a prison everyone is a criminal, no? I presume you mean one type of criminal away from another (e.g. drugees away from murderers).

 

Isolation in the perspective that is being used for the purpose of this thread is not the same isolation you know as punishment while you were in there. I don't believe in prisoners having access to things normal, law abiding citizens don't get for free. Especially as our economy turns to dust in the wind, we don't need people committing crimes to go to jail because it is actually better than being free. I'm not saying that to be cruel to those in there. All of America would be changed if I was in control. LOL. I can't possibly, in all good consciousness, say how prison should be in America's current form, because I agree with very little of anything, from politics, to the justice system itself. I should just humbly bow out of this thread. I truly believe you can't have genuine prison reform without it being part of total restructuring of American society. I apologize for wasting your time.

 

You havent wasted anyones time. Just explain what you mean by isolation. You would have put me where for 2 and a half years?

 

I would emphasize isolation more then punishment in the sense I would focus on sentencing in terms of how much of a threat they are considered to the rest of the population, in comparison to simply wanting to get revenge.

I think prisoners should be free to interact with each other as they please during certain times. Like you said, they're not going be able to rehab if they don't have(if it's even possible in the first place, serial killers just aren't going to be rehabbed) But having access to an abundance of material things that might make the poor contemplate committing crimes just for the sake of going to jail isn't something you want either.

 

Oh wait. Hang on. Do you mean isolation in the poll options or isolation in the last few posts?

In the poll options I meant keeping the prionsers away from the general populace.

In the previous posts I meant solitary confinement.

 

Poll options, sorry.

 

I don't believe prison is for rehabilitation, it is for isolating people who are too far gone from making any good contribution to society as a whole. I believe people can be rehabilitated, but if they fit that description they should be separated from those who can't and go to a place specifically designed for such a purpose. I didn't know the OP meant isolation as prisons should be made up of closets with people chained to the walls. Simply a miss communication.

 

8 by 5 cell, stainless stell sink and toilet (they actually combine the two into one unit) and a bunk and small window. Solitary confinement, you wont get much worse than that in the US unless you cause a hell of alot of trouble.

 

I think you are totally missing the point of everything I am saying. I do wish you the best of luck though dude.

 

Best of luck, why cause I did time? I'm a reformed man. I understand up until the point when I said ''explain''. That does typically denote inquiry.