Life in prison for selling $10 crack rock (Strike 3)

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catilley1092

Member
Mar 28, 2011
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The US spends more money on prisons than schools, and there's no indicator to suggest that the trend will reverse. Many offenders gets caught for small crimes, just to have a roof over their head, food & medical care for the winter.

Life in prison over drugs, provided no violence was done to others, is a total waste of tax dollars. Education & Treatment, not imprisonment, would cost a lot less, and keep hardcore criminals behind bars. For every drug offender incarcerated, the state parole boards must consider an early release for a violent offender, to make room for everyone. This poses a far greater risk to society than small level drug users/sellers does.

Cat
 

Theb

Diamond Member
Feb 28, 2006
3,533
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This hole in the supply chain was filled before he was processed.
 

Patranus

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2007
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They don't. lifers have little incentive to work and cooperate within the system even if they did.

I don't care what "incentive" you have.
You are in jail, you work to contribute back to the society whos social contract you violated.

I never really understood why (mostly liberal states) allow their prisoners to sit in a cell and watch TV all day while eating 3 meals per day.

Its prison not a daycare.

Joe Arpaio has it right with the bologna sandwiches.
 

IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,932
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I don't care what "incentive" you have.
You are in jail, you work to contribute back to the society whos social contract you violated.

I never really understood why (mostly liberal states) allow their prisoners to sit in a cell and watch TV all day while eating 3 meals per day.

Its prison not a daycare.

Joe Arpaio has it right with the bologna sandwiches.

how do you propose they "make" someone work within the confines of US laws?
 

Numenorean

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2008
4,442
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how do you propose they "make" someone work within the confines of US laws?

You put them to work. If they don't work, they don't earn their food. They will work. If not, they will die and the world would then be a slightly better place.
 

IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,932
3
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You put them to work. If they don't work, they don't earn their food. They will work. If not, they will die and the world would then be a slightly better place.

no they will just strong arm someone else that did work for their food or get by on commissary
 

Numenorean

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2008
4,442
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no they will just strong arm someone else that did work for their food or get by on commissary

No they wouldn't. Prisoners that didn't earn their food would be left in their cells while others ate in the case of common eating areas. If not common eating areas, then they just wouldn't get food period.

Commissary? They going to eat a concept?
 

Paladin3

Diamond Member
Mar 5, 2004
4,933
877
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So, you are going to try to make my company hire the rehabbed crackhead over a law-abiding citizen with no record of trouble? Why would any company do that? Subsidize his pay? But then you are back to him costing the taxpayers anyway.

And who is going to be liable when the rehab fails, as it surely will, and the crackhead commits a crime while employed by me?

If a former crackhead spends sufficient time and puts in the required work to earn his trade certificate then I think he will have proven his dedication to remaining employed and staying out of prison. You are assuming that the program I propose will rubber stamp inmates as reformed and kick them back out into society just to fail again. Absolutely not.

Also, I would do nothing to influence employers to hire ex-cons, beyond turning out truly qualified and motivated employees. Any con who can't find a job continues to be incarcerated and works in a self-supporting prison run factory. With what basically equates to slave labor, there is no reason a prison system can't financially support itself.

The goal of my system is not to be kind to the convict, but to make his existence be less burdensome and expensive to society. Of course, we would have to lock up and throw away the key for those criminals who just refuse to be rehabilitated, but it would be more like putting them in a hole from which they would never emerge.

And we'd have to slap around all the ACLU lawyers and human rights folks until they shut up...but we're dreaming of a perfect world here, right?
 

Numenorean

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2008
4,442
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_commissary

and with that this convo is over you clearly lack any understanding of prison life, not that I'm an expert but you don't even have a grasp on the fundamentals.

Yes but that would just be a concept. You can't buy food that isn't there with money that you don't have.

You obviously don't get the point that this would be a change of how things currently work.
 

IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,932
3
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Yes but that would just be a concept. You can't buy food that isn't there with money that you don't have.

You obviously don't get the point that this would be a change of how things currently work.[/Q]

Again with current U.S. law that wouldn't be legal. If you are going to disband U.S. law for criminals then just put them on an island or some other massive gated space and let them figure it out themselves why have any input at all.
 

Numenorean

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 2008
4,442
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Yes but that would just be a concept. You can't buy food that isn't there with money that you don't have.

You obviously don't get the point that this would be a change of how things currently work.[/Q]

Again with current U.S. law that wouldn't be legal. If you are going to disband U.S. law for criminals then just put them on an island or some other massive gated space and let them figure it out themselves why have any input at all.

Obviously we aren't trying to suggest that the solutions to the problem work with current laws or current setup of prisons.
 

roguerower

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2004
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Biggest bunch of bullshit ever. Guy goes from a shitty life to a guaranteed 3 squares a day and a roof over his head so long as he doesn't get shanked.

I realize that not everyone had the same opportunities I did growing up but after two strikes something serious has to be done to set an example for the younger generations.

All offenders who get to three strikes should be forced to work in the coal mines, crop fields, or anything other jobs where outside labor is brought in. Prison should be something like the gulag in soviet russia where you would rather die then get sent there.
 
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IceBergSLiM

Lifer
Jul 11, 2000
29,932
3
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Biggest bunch of bullshit ever. Guy goes from a shitty life to a guaranteed 3 squares a day and a roof over his head so long as he doesn't get shanked.

I realize that not everyone had the same opportunities I did growing up but after two strikes something serious had to be done to set an example for the younger generations.

All offenders who get to three strikes should be forced to work in the coal mines, crop fields, or anything other jobs where outside labor is brought in. Prison should be something like the gulag in soviet russia where you would rather die then get sent there.

What would you give them to harvest coal and crops? You can't expect someone with nothing to live for to be trusted with tools. They would just kill each other all day.