Our for profit prison system ( which has every incentive to keep as many people as possible locked up, because the more people they lock up, the more money they make ) focus's mainly on punishment. Keeping individuals away from society. And when the prisoners release time comes up, they are pushed out into society often times without the tools to cope, obtain employment, and in general, lead a posstive balanced life that will keep them away from crime. I personally think that prison should be much more focused on rehabilitation and education, as opposed to punishment. Punishment without purpose only leads to a criminal cycle that most people who are in the prison system, are repeat offenders. ( and of those, a lot of them are simply there on 3 strike rules for drug posession ) Prisoners are not very often asked to pay restitution. I believe that should be another part of the process when possible.
I think they should make sure the same mistakes don't happen again. Rehabilition should be the primary goal.
The went to "corrections" and rehabilitation back in the 1970's and our recidivism rate is over 50%. Go chat with some prison guards. I know a lot of them from when they were working part time on the Armored Trucks. You seem to have this impression they are just lost sheep in need of guidance, they're not. They have to commit a lot of crimes to graduate from probation to county jail to state or federal prison. By he time they get to big boy prison, crime has become a lifestyle. How do you convince anyone to go to work for $12 an hour when they can made hundreds or thousands peddling meth or crack on the street corner in just a few hours? Your not going to talk them into it that's for sure.
I think swindlers should be forced to spend their life reimbursing their victims. But how do you make a penniless drug addict who just killed a 7-11 clerk for $16 in the till pay restitution?
To reduce the recidivism rate, which is rehabilitation. When their setence is up a prisoner is released back into society. Do you want someone who can fit back in and live out the rest of their life as a basically law abiding citizen like most of the rest of us, or do you want them coming out pissed off, full of hate and only having the skills they went into prison with?
Watch out for that "restituion" game. The commercial prisons will use it to justify a new kind of bonded servitude.
Well, you do understand that we are talking about people here with a parole date right? They ARE going to get out of prison at some point. Do we just let them go? Or do we at least TRY and prepare them to live a LEGAL lifestyle once they get out? If you dont give them the tools to succeed, they will absolutely go back to the lifestyle they used to lead. But if you give them the tools of an education and job training and coping skills, I would imagine you would have quote a few less return to crime.
Rehabilitation should be the main aim but the first aim should be reducing poverty especially inner city that and decriminalizing drugs. Prisons if they need to exist should be for people who are violently dangerous and need to be isolated from the general populace rehabilitation will be more pricy for them because of increased security. The guards should feel like they are always in control, there should also be multiple sleeper guards working for federal intelligence who report the guards if they are over stepping their boundaries. Rehabilitation can be administered to non-violent offenders cheaper through bi weekly seminars in large towns or cities and can be observed by normal officers. That stuff and the prisons should all be public so the incentive is even greater to avoid creating more crime or laws that will put non-violent offenders behind bars.
Restitution is a good idea (I also vote for rehab/ed.), but restitution should only be applicable when there is a specific, namable victim (or family of victim) to give money to, not just paying "society", which is an open door for the state to fleece the populace yet again, and further incentive to send people to prison who don't really belong there. Contrary to Professor P's misconception, people do go to prison on first offenses, and not just for murder or robbing banks. Most prisoners are imprisoned for drug offenses, and are victimless crimes. The war on drugs is already used as a massive money shakedown, where they link any money or property you have to drugs so they can take it. For the first time in history, I agree with leftysergeant: Restitution IS a dangerous thing, and the invitation to a slippery slope. In the hands of those who can declare themselves the victim, and get to name their price as far as restitution, you would find people being indentured servants to the state for the rest of their lives (after spending 5 years in prison).
I think rehabilitation would be fine in a sentencing basis. Certain criminals would be sentenced to rehabilitation, others would not. Those that would not be sentenced to it directly would have the chance to transfer to a rehabilitation program if they want to in exchange for an earlier sentence depending on their progress.
