One in 100 Americans are incarcerated, straining state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety, the Pew Center on the States reports. The new report concludes that states spent $49 billion on incarcerations, up from $11 billion 20 years ago. Meanwhile, national recidivist rates have not decreased; one in two ex-cons find themselves back in jail within three years.
Some states are decreasing costs by placing low-risk offenders in less costly settings. Some also use intermediate sanctions for parolees that violate the terms of their parole, instead of taking them back in custody. What's up America? Why are so many people behind bars? Is the population increasingly dangerous? Or, are we unable to come up with creative ways of addressing societal issues?
Untold
So many people are behind bars because there is no deterrant for commiting crimes! It used to be "hard time" now its more like "soft core time" they have cable tv, 3 meals a day, exercise equipment, lawyers, therapists. We no longer have the "make the punishment fit the crime" because it violates thier rights somehow.
THe jails are also more crowded than they should be because there are people inside that dont need to be there, and that goes for prostitutes, the johns, marijuana possesion/selling.
1I agree with Caterpillar. Not only have we made it easy on the criminals in prison, but we also don't make them full fill their sentence. They know if they go to jail, they will only be in for a quarter of the time they are sentenced to serve.
The only way to stop crime is to up the police force and enforce the punishment. But we have to turn it back to being a punishment.
2I think too many petty crimes are sending people to jail. I think the 3 strikes law has hurt the system.
I think that we need to focus on violent and sexual offenders, and keep them in jail. Things like theft, fraud, and pot possession shouldn't hold as long of a jail term as long as they didn't use force to do it.
3Jill what do you mean by Fraud or Theft? Because I think Identity fraud and theft should hold serious punishment.
Pot possesion is laughable.
4I agree with Cine and Caterpillar! :Truestory:
5:TRUESTORY:
6
damn it. lol
7
8yeah I finally figured it out Cine!
9im like the only one with no good smileys... what is the deal with that?
10You do too have a good smiley
11hahah, i mean that i can insert!
no dirty jokes!!
12Do you know where to get them?
13No actually I don't...
14Yeah well I'm all about cops putting people in jail for petty crimes that really shouldn't land them there...I'm freaking 23, in graduate school, don't do drunks, or party hard, don't really drink (or drive), never steal, commit fraud...and I've been arrested 2 times! Once b/c apparently when your friend is on the floor, cop on his back, and he isn't moving and the cop decides to still pepper spray him in the face as much as he can...well if you cry out No! then you have the right..to remain silent, and are immediately considered arrested and dubbed resisting arrest as well. And the second time? Well apparently if you elect to take that driving course to get no points on your license and don't take it, they can (and will) suspend your license and oops! forget to tell you about it, and then if you get caught for doing anything wrong, then you will be arrested on the spot if the cop wants (or they can let you go b/c you didn't know about it, but Nooo I had a dick cop).
So there, 2 arrests and now I'm a "hardened criminal"
15http://teamsugar.com/group/82779/blog/258833
16I hit post too soon. Here you go cabaker, http://teamsugar.com/group/82779/blog/258833
This is the smiley bible
17
18There are so many reasons why our jails and prisons are overcrowded. One of the number one things we should stop throwing people in jail for is pot possesion. In Seattle, the voters approved a measure that put pot way at the bottom of the priority list for Seattle police officers. Also, as someone mentioned above sentencing isn't enforced.
I also think part of the problem is that our society doesn't value hard work the same way we used to. It's like the working hard part of the American Dream has been forgotten about and everyone just wants the payout. I am a huge believer in personal responsibility, but parents these days don't seem to teach that. Our schools could probably do a better job of that too.
19Don't tase me bro!
20Thanks Cine!
21gotta love the Gator Nation
22wow - that many? seriously? you all seriously think this has to do with the punishment being too leniant? what? yeah - it has nothing to do with lack of social programs, poverty etc etc...sounds like everyone here is into living in a police state and likes to live in gated communities to keep the "baddies" out.
23
lack of social programs!
24spending too much elsewhere and on the military and not enough on the people of the nation. i know if i had that much power over so many people i'd want to help everyone as much as possible even if the economy is ruined and corporations are mad at me. boo hoo.
25cine - how is that funny?
26cine - how is that funny?
27Tdamji, that certainly has to have something to do with it. For the most part people don't commit crimes to be mean to other people. They commit crimes to get stuff...whether that is stealing to make money or stealing to get the actual stuff their stealing. There are people out there who are continually beat down by life, and I have quite a bit of sympathy for them (yes, my bleeding heart liberal side...feel sorry for the crimal...society made them do it). BUT, there are so many people my age who don't want to work for anything so they take the easy way.
I got into a bit of trouble when I was 22 and I remember thinking after it happened, why did this happen to me? It was only after I realized it didn't just happen to me, I did something to cause it that I was able to deal with it.
I believe very much in personal responsiblity, but I also think that you have to give people the tools to be personally responsible (my fiance calls that my Caveat Conservatism). It seems like a lot of parents are failing miserably at that. What do you expect when someone never hears the word 'no' and gets everything they want?
28"Jill what do you mean by Fraud or Theft?"
I mean things like car theft, shop lifting, money laundering, etc.
I DO think these people should be punished for sure, but I don't think that they are worth releasing violent and sexual offenders to make room for them. I think there have to be other ways that we can punish them, and leave the prison cells for people that NEED to be kept from having physical contact with society.
Sexual crimes increase sexual crimes. Unfortunately, it is a cyclical thing, and the more victims they create, the more future victimizers are created as well.
29It is funny to me that you think there is a lack of social programs and if we had more the crime would stop. And before you claim I am wealthy and living in a gated community, I am not. I have been poverty stricken and lived in the ghetto that was gang ridden multiple times in my life. I had to walk alone from the bus stop at night on a road the cops and people in the neighborhood used to call murder alley because so many murders occurred there through out the year, when I was a teenager.
Not to mention that my family has been involved in Social services (working for not recipient of) on both coasts for over 30 years, and I myself have been involved in social services for over 20 years of my 27 years of life on this planet.
30Stupid military...
31: N I N J A :
That one is my fav.
32ugh busted! ok i'm over smileys now
33
34I do think that poverty has A LOT to do with crime.
It isn't just chance that the gap between the poor and wealthy has been growing, just as our crime rates have. It isn't just chance that some areas of the country have huge poverty rates, and they also have high levels of crime.
The poor have been really stretched in ways that I think some middle class people can't imagine. I know in some areas of the country, large numbers of people still didn't have their power turned on August because of the massive energy bills they received the winter before.
35So many people are behind bars because there is no deterrant for commiting crimes! It used to be "hard time" now its more like "soft core time" they have cable tv, 3 meals a day, exercise equipment, lawyers, therapists. We no longer have the "make the punishment fit the crime" because it violates thier rights somehow.
THe jails are also more crowded than they should be because there are people inside that dont need to be there, and that goes for prostitutes, the johns, marijuana possesion/selling.
I'm glad I read the comments. I was coming to post this pretty much.
36ok im back on them
and way to lay the smackdown cine!
37You have to make sure there are no spaces between the letters.
It took me forever to figure out.
38Maybe part of the reason this is true is because of Katrina, white collar crime, and everything related to Internet crime that didn't exist 10 years ago...
39cine - i see where you're coming from, for sure. i only said the gated communities thing because i was jumping on the "sweeping generalizations bandwagon".
how could there ever be enough social programs? does anyone think free healthcare would do
harm?
oh - and you really think i'm so narrowminded to think: more social programs=less crime? no way! that is just one of soooo many factors here.
40er 20 years ago
41"does anyone think free healthcare would do harm?" THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE HEALTHCARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
42"It isn't just chance that the gap between the poor and wealthy has been growing, just as our crime rates have. It isn't just chance that some areas of the country have huge poverty rates, and they also have high levels of crime."
Absolutely poverty and crime are related, but more social programs are not the answer. I could go with maybe BETTER, MORE EFFICIENT, state programs, but more?
Social programs will eradicate the middle class and turn them into lower middle class or poverty. The only people who can afford social programs are the wealthy and the only people that think they benefit are the poor.
43amen M3!
44First of all there is no such thing as free health care. None. It does not exist anywhere in the world.
I, for one, am COMPLETELY and WHOLE HEARTEDLY against federal social programs. I am so far away from a socialist I can't even tell you.
And no worries about the bandwagon. WE all do it sometimes.
45M3 - you're at a 10, i'm gonna need you to take it down to about a 3....
46
@ cabaker
47cabaker you crack me up.
48can you hear this? maybe i should TURN IT UP!!!!!!!!
49
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