If you were runnin' thangs...

[Ideal08]

How would you run our prison system? Me, I'm into good old fashioned torture. Yes, I believe in "cruel and unusual punishment." I think that if you get caught stealing, you should lose your hand. You get convicted of rape? Guess what? That's right, Lorena Bobbitt on your a$$. For a while, it would be chaos, but things would cool off, and people would be scurred to commit crimes. That way, jails won't be places for rehabilitation, they will be strictly for punishment. I like the fear factor. Why are we paying to rehabilitate these folks? Is that really our responsibility as citizens? I bet if you thought your hand would get cut off, you would think before you stole something.

Now, the only flaw I see in this, is what if people are wrongly convicted of crimes? I haven't worked that out yet. But I do like my idea.

I just hate that we put so much money into our prison system? To me, in MY WORLD, once you commit a crime, you have lost ALL of your rights as a human being. So you better think about it before you do it. You commit a crime and have to sit in jail, you don't get to vote. You don't get to watch TV. You don't get any cigarettes. You don't get any money. You for dayum sure don't get access to the net. No phones for prisoners, either. If you wanted to talk to people, ya shoulda thought about it. You get fed food like on the Matrix. Basically, very little tax dollars will be spent on the prison system.

I know it sounds harsh, but that's how I think the system should be.

So, how would you run YOUR prison system?

[kell1gs]

I thought i had problems with the US prison system... but i stand to be corrected
You are totally entiled to your opinions, but if i may interject my own...

First... playing devils advocate, in your system, a man who steals bread to feed his family and the pro. hustler who steals money to satisfy his own greed... do they deserve the same punishment...
also... in the mind of a criminal... he will not be caught, he knows he'll get away with it, therefore he'll not be swayed by any type of punishment

SECOND, I'm kind of disappointed in what comes off as lack of faith in the human race, in my heart, i believe that every man has the capacity to do good, and evil. Though the US prison systems actual implication of the reform system can be/is questioned as wrong as they may be at least to some extent they have been releasing ex-cons to become active and fruitful members of socitey.
Punishment breeds fear, in your system, people would live in fear, is it more valuable for a person to not commit crimes out of fear or out of respect for themselves or others.
i.e. would you want your husband to be faithful because...
A. You'll chop his dick off if he slept with another woman.
B. His love for you is so strong that he wouldn't even THINK about looking ant another woman.

Thats the goal of reform... to help remove the DESIRE to do wrong, teach moral values to thoes who have none.
For most, it never pays to believe in people and their capability to do good, but who are we to punish thoes who would choose to do wrong,
to be human is not a right... we as humans are blessed with the gift of free will what we do with that free will and how we pay for the mistakes we make with it, is between the man and his maker...
let he who is without sin cast the first stone

------------------
Kellogs @}~~`~~,~~

[pointNclick]

My prison system would not be based on physical punishment because as criminals band together they inflict punishment on each other anyway.

I would make education a manadatory requirement of my prision system. Those without HS diplomas, would get their GED. Those who had not finished a Bachelor's degree would have to finish it in jail. In fact, all time served would include educational requirements. Second, all prisoners would receive mandatory mental counseling.

Most importantly, prisoners would be placed by crime. The low level offenders (those caught stealing, etc.) would be on the first floor. On the top floor would be rapist and child molesters.

There would be no personal privilge for any prisoner. One TV per floor and that's it. No computer access. The prisoner's job would be there only source of income and that income would go into an account-- not to the prsioner. They could not access that money until there time was up. If they died, then the money would go to a designee, the victim(s), or the state-- the only three choices.

My overall focus would be counseling, education, and independence. So that when there time was up, they could leave prison with a degree of some kind, some money saved away, and a better understanding of themselves as people.

For repeat offenders, a one chance rule applies. If they serve time, are reeleased, and then commit another crime (and found guilty)-- it's automatically a 10 year sentence. Period. I'm tired of these repat fools walking free and chilling, only to hurt other innocent people.

Interesting question Ideal... very interesting.

[Ideal08]

Why do we feel it is ok for SOME people to commit crimes? Why is it ok for a man to steal bread to feed his family? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, huh? How about THOU SHALL NOT STEAL? How about that? Does God view the homeless theif any different from the rich one?

Do I believe in rehabilitating criminals? Do I believe that people have the capacity to do good? That's not my issue, really. My question is is this our responsibility as citizens?

What about the criminals who CANNOT be rehablitated? We just keep spending money and time on them? WHY?

WHY is our justice system REACTIVE instead of PROACTIVE? Why do we WAIT until someone COMMITS a crime before we try to PREVENT it from happening AGAIN?

That is all I'm saying. What country was it that caned ol' dude for graffiti (sp)? What is their crime rate? Is that country's prisons overcrowded? Americans thought that that punishment was TOO harsh. I'm willing to bet that country has WAAAY less graffiti than we do.

Would people live in fear, yes they would. Would I care that they are not committing crimes just out of fear and not respect? Not really. Ask the Columbine survivors about fear and respect. Ask the Oklahoma City bombing survivors and families about fear and respect. Ask the battered woman who is afraid her husband will KILL her about fear and respect. Ask the woman who has been raped but hasn't come forward about living in fear.

What REALLY is the difference between my system and the death penalty? Can not those who kill be reformed? Aren't killers capable of doing both good and evil. Don't killers have the capacity to do good? Do I care? Not at all.

The way I look at it, everything has a cause and an effect. Everything you do has an action and a reaction. Everything has a consequence. People need to start thinking about the consequences of their actions. Once people THINK about these consequences, maybe they will then THINK abot WHY they are in place. Once they THINK about that, maybe they will think about how THEY would feel if the same crime were committed against THEM. Then, maybe they will NOT commit the crime out of respect, and no longer not commit out of fear.

Everything has a PROCESS. I'm not saying that my society would live in fear forever. But aren't we living that way now? Why are there metal detectors in our SCHOOLS? Because people are AFRAID of the KIDS??? WTF? Let's all live in FEAR of our criminals, and allow them the power to control how we live. Nah, not me.

Also, I'm not saying my system is perfect, or that I wouldn't change anything in it. I'm sure it has many flaws. But it's no more flawless than the system we live in now.

(can yall tell i don't feel like working today, either? that's the story of my life, lol)

[ClassyLady]

My prison system would resemble that of the good ol' days.

Every prisoner in an eight by eight foot cell with just enough food to keep you alive. They work to improve this country all day, building roads, digging drainage ditches, and etc.

I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT believe in capital punishment for any reason. If you want to act crazy in the real world, then fine. But when you get caught and come to my jail, there will be no more of that. Murderers will sit in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, they get one hour to run around outside and stretch their muscles.