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turtlespeed

Are the prison terms and penalties too light these days?

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After Phillykevs thread, and my comment on three time losers, I was wondering what the consensus was on the topic of criminal punishment.

I am speaking of crimes that are malicious in intent. Like for Robbery, only if it was a vindictive act. Murder, obviously, and so n - anything that is a felony and includes fraud or malicious intent.

Personaly, I think that the punishment should be harsher - Hard Labor, and the like, sitting in a "hotel" room doesn't cut it. If you are convicted by a jury of your piers that you did something like listed above - you should be put through a scenario that explains to you in no uncertain terms, that what you did was wrong and you will not like the consequeces if you do it.
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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I think the inmates in prison should just have the bare necessities and nothing else, other then a book of their choosing. They should also be doing Hard Labor and I mean really hard labor. Anyone convicted of murdor, rape, sodomy and pedophilia should be hung by their neck till they are dead dead dead. There is no possiblity of reform for these people.

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After Phillykevs thread, and my comment on three time losers, I was wondering what the consensus was on the topic of criminal punishment.

I am speaking of crimes that are malicious in intent. Like for Robbery, only if it was a vindictive act. Murder, obviously, and so n - anything that is a felony and includes fraud or malicious intent.

Personaly, I think that the punishment should be harsher - Hard Labor, and the like, sitting in a "hotel" room doesn't cut it. If you are convicted by a jury of your piers that you did something like listed above - you should be put through a scenario that explains to you in no uncertain terms, that what you did was wrong and you will not like the consequeces if you do it.



If you wish to deter crime, the best way is to increase the likelihood of being caught and convicted. The severity of the penalty is a distant second.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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OK, i voted hell yea. I wish more states would go back to the death penalty, but that's just my opinion.

Now, just what constituts a felony.....that needs some work.

A few years ago I had lost my job. I was unemployed for a little while, and couldn't pay my child support. For just a hair over 3 months. Just as I started working again, the courts put out a bench warrent for me. For what? Well, come to find out that failure to support under 90 days is a misdemeanor, while over is a felony. They waited until they hadn't gotten a payment in 93 days, and filed charges.

I paid a very expensive lawyer (felony charges....the retainer alone is a killer), and just having him got the charges reduced to a misdemeanor with a fine and probabtion.

I could have fought further and won, and ended up with no conviction, but honestly, couldn't afford to fight. The court, by waiting just a few days to charge someone they KNEW didn't have money, got a sure conviction. Even with a plea, I ened up with a record, simply because I had lost a job and been unable to find another right away.

Some laws are just plain bullshit.
It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

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"If you wish to deter crime, the best way is to increase the likelihood of being caught and convicted. The severity of the penalty is a distant second"

That maybe true, but why spend the money on all the extras the inmates get. A rope and a tree is alot cheaper then 20 years on death row.

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"If you wish to deter crime, the best way is to increase the likelihood of being caught and convicted. The severity of the penalty is a distant second"

That maybe true, but why spend the money on all the extras the inmates get. A rope and a tree is alot cheaper then 20 years on death row.



:D:D:)B|B|B|
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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I think the problem is over crowded prisons. You have to let them go to make room for the new guys.

So, here is what we need to do. Build more prisons, which in turn creates more jobs, construction, law enforcement, janitorial, food servie, all kinds, that way prisons are less populated and they can serve their full sentence. Yes this may be expensive but at least you created jobs and get those guys off the street longer.

By the time you read this you have already read it.

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Personally, I think a little of both. I think they are too harsh and unnecessary for non-violent crimes (e.g. drug posession), but violent offenders get off to easy. Part of the reason for that is to make room in the penal system for the non-violent offenders.

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I think the problem is over crowded prisons. You have to let them go to make room for the new guys.

So, here is what we need to do. Build more prisons, which in turn creates more jobs, construction, law enforcement, janitorial, food servie, all kinds, that way prisons are less populated and they can serve their full sentence. Yes this may be expensive but at least you created jobs and get those guys off the street longer.



The US already has a greater % of its population in prison than any other western nation, thanks to the "war on drugs".
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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"If you wish to deter crime, the best way is to increase the likelihood of being caught and convicted. The severity of the penalty is a distant second"

That maybe true, but why spend the money on all the extras the inmates get. A rope and a tree is alot cheaper then 20 years on death row.



Then you'd be executing a bunch of innocent people because sometimes it takes 20 years to get to the truth, as we found out in Illinois.

Maybe that doesn't bother you.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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We let our inmates just sit around in their Cells all day - They should be out repaying their debt to society - Put them to work, the could build roads, bridges, clean the highways, build gardens - Make them work 12 hour days doing hard labor...
=========Shaun ==========


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When I was out past Sacremento over the summer there was a work detail from some prison - dressed in orange boiler suits, clearing the roads and cutting overhanging branches etc.. people in for non-violent crimes evidently, I was quite impressed.

If I had 100% faith in the legal and judicial system - I'd say bring back the death penalty and use it on anyone with a life sentence, all murders, pyschopaths and rapists, and give harsher sentences to everyone else. But I don't, so I won't :S

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Prisons are not rehabilitating anyone. They are just a school for criminals to go to, to become even bigger badasses. Until that changes, honestly, I think sentenses should be shortened. No one is becoming any better in there, and when they do get out...the longer they were in there, the worse-off they are.

The FAKE KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMER!!!!!!!!!

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I think the problem is over crowded prisons. You have to let them go to make room for the new guys.

So, here is what we need to do. Build more prisons, which in turn creates more jobs, construction, law enforcement, janitorial, food servie, all kinds, that way prisons are less populated and they can serve their full sentence. Yes this may be expensive but at least you created jobs and get those guys off the street longer.



The US already has a greater % of its population in prison than any other western nation, thanks to the "war on drugs".



Yeah, cracking down on drugs has put laot of people behind bars, we just need to build more facilities to hold them so they can serve the full length of there term.

Also, time off for good behavior, i think that is BS. If soem one gets 10 years they should serve 10 years, not 3 then probation for 7.

By the time you read this you have already read it.

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We let our inmates just sit around in their Cells all day - They should be out repaying their debt to society - Put them to work, the could build roads, bridges, clean the highways, build gardens - Make them work 12 hour days doing hard labor...



Yeah, Sounds good to me! Every prison should have a couple Chain Gangs!

By the time you read this you have already read it.

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We let our inmates just sit around in their Cells all day - They should be out repaying their debt to society - Put them to work, the could build roads, bridges, clean the highways, build gardens - Make them work 12 hour days doing hard labor...



Yeah, Sounds good to me! Every prison should have a couple Chain Gangs!



OK, but lets raise the bar - all prisoners shall do hard labor - excpecially the white collar crimes.
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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Yeah, making little rocks out of big rocks would deter me from committing a crime.



I would hope so - being denied freedom for injustices to others should not just be a vacation, it should be a lesson in humility, with the lesson being driven home with the constant hard Labor, and the benifits should be reaped by the society that was subjected to the criminal behavior.
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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eye for an eye may be a good deterent to.



If it is warranted - Trust me, if someone kills or threatens my life or that of the ones that I love - there is no "IF".

Harsh punishment is a good deterrent if you have the gall to actually back it up.
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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I've never known anyone who went to jail who complained about how NICE it was...

First of all, there are way too many non-violent first offenders (i.e. drug offences) who should be in treatment and a supervised probation. Treatment is cheaper and it's proven to be more effective. Most states with severe budget crunches are beginning to figure this out and are taking a second look at their sentencing laws.

Too many people are being locked up because the POLITICIANS have imposed mandatory minimum sentencing laws that take away a judge's discretion. Believe it or not, most judges have a hell of a better idea of what's needed than some asshole used car dealer in the legislature.

Third, and this should be of more concern, is the "prison-industrial complex". Prison labor, and prisons themselves are being used for profit by companies who are lobbying for tougher sentencing laws so they can beef up their slave labor force. Prison labor competes with and robs honest Americans of jobs and holds people in prison for the very purpose of corporate gain. As an American, I think that only the government should be permitted to hold people in captivity, as fucked up as it is, the govt is at least theoretically accountable to the people.

I have no sympathy for violent criminals, none. But I can't support a system that trains non-violent offenders to become violent offenders for life, while they're being exploited in a slave labor force that deprives other Americans of their jobs.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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