What do you think the prison system should be for?

I'll try this again.

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 *solitary confinement*. Simply a miss communication.

The "best of luck" was not a kick in the balls. It was genuine. I don't know the specifics of your situation. I don't know how long ago you did time, if you "topped out" or are on parole. I do have many friends who have been to prison, and even if "reformed", it is not a bonus to one's resume. It is not a reason to give up, but at the same time, in this economic downturn, it surely doesn't help one's lot in life.

 

but I am also strongly interested in elimination (i.e. capital punishment) and believe that it is underutilized.

 

Its very hard to determine whos going to make it. The ones that do the best in prison are the ones to fail, and the ones who cant take it and cause promblems get out to sometimes never return.
There is no standardized test. I think you are saying that unless it is serious tthen no prison. If thats the case, what would there be to deter me from commiting more crimes? Im sure you have an answer but I may have missed it.

 

No, im off parole for over a year and doing quite well.

 

There are so many choices one makes that get them into trouble, and the wanting to make the right choices more often than not reflect one's upbringing or lack of direction and hope. Very few people are psychopaths. I also realize a lot of assaults stem from people who might have actually deserved what they got. We all have been wronged by someone who deserved to get the crap kicked out of them. One has to have anger management issues and/or no caring of their own livelihood to act upon the notion. It is very complex. A judge and jury would have to determine if someone could be rehabilitated or is beyond the point of no return. Those who can be rehabilitated are sent to basically a minimum security school type setting to get therapy, to anger management, to training for a trade, critical thinking classes, etc. People with jobs who are productive seldom get into trouble. However, those who go to rehabilitation must pay back all that is owed through garnishes of their wages, and those who try to escape are immediately bumped to the no hope bracket. Those who go to prison are slave laborers, in the truest form, to the day they die.

 

Considering what the judge told me, under your system I would be a slave right now. Thats not nice, ima good guy and take care of my daughter, who was born 2 months after I was incarcerated.

 

Just to clarify, in the poll options I meant isolation as in keeping away criminals away from the rest of the populace.

In some posts later in the thread I was talking about solitary confinement.

 

The rate of recidivism (a prisoner getting out of prison and then committing another serious crime) has actually gone up since the war on crime got started a couple of decades ago. There is a small drop in crime due to the sheer numbers of criminals being locked up for sizeable lengths of time but the sheer cost of all those extra prison cells is NOT offset by the prison slavery (private enterprise) practiced by some of the private prisons.

A serious attempt at a comprehensive rehabilitation program has NEVER been tried in the United States. There are numerous other nations that have done so and which enjoy lower per capita justice system costs, a lower crime rate and (not to be ignored) a higher percentage of happy and law-abiding citizens. Just what is so liberal/socialist about this approach that conservatives flee from it in horror?

 

Prisoners enjoy private prisons better because the C/O's typically get paid less and are more susceptible to participate in illegal activity with inmates, contraband smuggling, prostitution, closing an eye in the visiting room. Gaurds in state and federal prisons most certainly do this as well but at a much lower rate as they have more to lose. What comprehensive rehabilitation programs were you refering to? I have been through some myself, there are many of them.

 

It should be used like the Bastille, i.e., to protect the royalty (and their supporters) from the people. Wait a minute, that's what it IS being used for.

 

What the hell are you talking about phoebeBump. This is nonsense.

 

But right now the prison system is a huge failure at re-habilitation. Prisoners come out bigger criminals than they went in.

The question should be, if the guy is going to get out of prison and live next door to you, what do you want him doing. Do you want a guy that had to join a gang and shank someone to keep from being rapped daily? Or do you want a guy that was given an education and made to work hard in a dafe environment so that he sees that he can make it in the world.

Now the other side of the coin is that some guys are sick. If you commit first degree murder or violent rape, you should be isolated from society for the rest of your life, no chance ever for parole. You should not let some guy that kidnapped a kid, sexually abused him and killed him back out... ever. And they did just that recently near me.

 

Since most prisoners are not serving life-sentences, they should be rehabilitated, so that they can be more responsible when they get out, no? How would you prefer your tax dollars spent? Would you rather they be spent bettering the inmates, or be wasted doing nothing, only to pay more tax dollars later when they return to prison?

 

Like I said as an ex con who did 2 and a half years I can say that there are many many programs, some of them very intense, that exist within the prison system. At this point you all will have to say what you want these programs to consist of, and I am sure your ideas are being implemented right now. You simply have an outside view of what goes on inside.

 

Well it's not what's done; it's HOW it's done. I'm sure that the lobbyists who support the prison system would rather keep inmates locked up or coming back, with a system as you said in place, just to say they have one.

 

rehabilitation through electo- shock to the testicles.

i'll bet that'll cut down on crime

 

I bet it wont. Also, female inmates do not have testicles.

 

Isolation for those who present imminent danger to others, and restitution for the rest.

 

For adult prisons, all of the reasons pointed out besides rehabilitation. I think it's too late to rehabilitate adults.

For juvenile prisons, rehabilitation and deterrence (isolation from society) are the most important reasons.

 

Keep threats to general public to a minimum. Using other institutions for deterrence, rehabilitation and cost reparation need to be perfected as well.

 

All of the above.

That said, the PRIMARY focus of our criminal justice system should be to segregate VIOLENT criminals from peaceable society, and KEEP THEM THERE until such time as they no longer pose a violent threat. Of course, the threat of consistently PERMANENT incarceration for violence also serves as a powerful deterrent, as well as a meaningful punishment.... but the primary goal should always be to sequester violence away from the peaceful. There should NEVER be an instance where a known violent person is purposefully released upon the peaceable public, under any circumstance. There should be an honest effort at rehabilitation for FIRST TIME offenders, but recidivism should never be tolerated or excused, and violence initiated using ANY weapon should mean life in prison. Non-violent crimes should almost never result in incarceration.

 

All of the above.....

 

Punishment. Ideally we'd execute every drug dealer, murderer and child rapist.

 

I say isolation first.

And the best way to permanent high ground over criminals is for prisons to be for rehabilitation if possible - not punishment. The idea should be that if a citizen commits a crime in a developed and advanced society then they must be insane and in need of care. So no matter what horrible crime a criminal commits - we do not get angry with them - we have concern for them and we want to care for them - as well as isolate them so they are not a danger to civilized sane law abiding citizens.

All of this getting angry and focus on punishment is no good and not solid high ground. I also do not like all this rape scare stuff. Most people that go to prison do not get raped ( more do in USA than anywhere else though it seems ) - but you wouldnt know it from all the jail rape media that US cultural hegemony promotes. It seems that USA thinks that if it scares regular law abiding citizens about getting raped in jail this will encourage them to obey the law - and there is probably some truth to that because being raped by some big homosexual prisoner is a lot scarier than having to go to jail and not being able to be part of society. USA wants people to worry about getting raped in jails and I think this is why there is no genuine effort to stop people getting raped in USA jails - which cannot be difficult.

 

I chose other. An offender should be:

1) Punished

2) Rehabilitated

3) Reformed

4) Made to make restitution

5) Forced to get at a minimum of a high school diploma and / or a skill set so they can get a job

6) Returned to society with all their Rights intact

Putting people in cages for an endless amount of time, giving them a record that is available to anyone and everyone for any reason or non-reason only locks them out of society and does nothing to encourage them to do something with their lives. It creates different classes of citizens, making sure recidivism becomes the norm for many. Do all of the above and if you can't trust someone back into society, DON'T LET THEM OUT.