10 Ways we are making the criminal system worse in the US
If probation is served for 5-10 years for a Non violent, Non abusive, Class D* felony does it make sense to penalize for life? You'd be surprised to know that after release, very strict probation must take place for several years, for which those released are successful because they were more prudent then the average person. RULES
Remember, those folks cannot engage it the same activities as you can, such as going to a bar, having beer in their fridge and many, many more normal day to day experiences. Even having an empty can of beer, despite it not being yours can get you back in prison as a condition of your probation. *
1. Felony grades may not be on the frontal lobe of the average citizen, but as experts it is for us. I can tell you, it should be, that’s how this sort of thing happens. Frequently the phrase used is “They knew what they were doing”, you’d be surprised to know that is far from true. Very often that is not true in the case of class D felonies because the nature of the crime is very borderline of a misdemeanor. FELONY GRADES
2. This logic does not consider the brain development of maturing adults, and poor decisions between younger vs. older. Many older folks in prison, needing more care, costing more money, more than reformed & not a threat. ACLU
3. This logic opposing this does not account for accidental crime, again more frequent then you realize..ACCIDENTALLY BREAKING THE LAW LAWS YOU FREQUENTLY BREAK
4. This logic applies the concept that all criminals are violent and abusive, and is not true, meanwhile more men are raped in America then women, in prison. Though no one discusses this, even grossly encouraging it. RAPE STATS
5. Once released, unable to become employed, unable to find housing and such (Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs) & recidivism is encouraged out of desperation. NEEDS
6. A large volume of those in prison should be a patient in treatment, non violent criminals as the majority can’t/don’t fight for themselves compared to those who can in a very unorthodox culture, and do. Defense, is learned. CRIME STATS
7. At one time, criminals were allowed a diversion into the military to avoid convictions. Those same people you applaud for service at war time/draft, are no different than those you currently condemn in some cases, though this is not an option in current times. HONOR & DIGNITY
8. No other industrialized country has the rate of incarceration as ours. Are we worse? No, imprisonment is an industry and supports political campaigns, on tax payer dollars. One of many ways fear is hyped & safety disguised for profit Many private prisons require a guaranteed “bed count”, meaning, high occupancy is required. FULL HOUSE
9. A Condition of probation is to not consort with other known felons, yet prison is a breeding ground for criminal manufacturing, even if the criminal would prefer not to engage in this behavior. This is a means of survival at this point.
10. Prison produces an insurmountable volume of PTSD cases, for which release back into the community is worse than prior to entry 1 in 4 Americans, have a record, and with mandatory sentencing. This is unnecessarily at the tax payers safety, expense, and while destroying lives when you consider the ratio of nonviolent offenders living in population of violent offenders, is this what rehabiliation looks like? The realistic side effect is trauma, compounded by lifelong rejection.
I would never expect a child to stand in time out for taking candy for 3 days, nor would I assume they come out better for it, and especially in abusive conditions, as an example. I very much agree that folks who break the law should be accountable, but at what point should we break and punish members of our society & expect them to behave better for it? BREAKDOWN
With these considerations, undoubtedly those with drug problems aren’t being treated as patients, rather, criminals. Rape is overlooked and unjust. When you consider crimes such as nonviolent child support. While there should be accountability for child support no doubt, though this is reminiscent of debtor's jail. Debtors Jail
The culture alone isn't comprehensible unless you've ever been there. It's easy to say, "oh, they deserve it". When you consider the majority of criminals are not what you envision, dangerous thugs, & more like you and I, it s
uddenly becomes clear that what we are producing is an indirect, insormountable level of punishment for which we chose to ignore dismissing as justified. That is, until it happens to us. Trust the disenfranchised folks you are not listening to. Years of experience should tell you, something is wrong.
When all else fails, and you see no improvement, try something different.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
