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

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Mxylplyx

Diamond Member
Mar 21, 2007
4,197
101
106
Bullets are pretty simple.

I don't mind a second chance. I also wouldn't mind first offenders get a misdemeanor for minor drug charges. But if they got another charge, then they're done in my book. Get rid of them.

I do mind more than a 2nd chance.

There are plenty of countries around the world that practice your ideal form of justice. I hear Afghanistan is lovely this time of year. Syria has also been in the news as of late. I hear they are having an impressive showing of state justice right now.

I bet the millions around the world living under the boot of an authoritarian dictator would be astonished that some Americans would say such things.
 
May 11, 2008
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I have a two-tiered solution for the problem.

1. Better education and job training for our youth. If a student doesn't like hitting the books then teach him to be a welder or to make custom cabinets. Every young person leaving the education system must be prepared to earn a living with an employable job skill.

2. When someone does screw up and gets sent to prison, make education and/or job training mandatory before they are released. If you don't want to rot in prison for the rest of your life then get your GED or complete a professional certification of some kind. The first condition of parole is that you are employed or back to prison you go.

Optional 3rd step: decriminalize cannabis.

Other than that we only have our own culture and whacked priorities to blame for our young people failing in school and then thinking selling rock is an easier path to success.

Indeed this is the way. Throwing people in prison is not enough. They must be spiritually broken and then educated again from the start.
First the punishment until people really want to change, then the education start.

I fixed step nr 3 for you.
 

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
63
91
O please...

You naive idiots and your "lets legally allow all lethal drugs" idea.

Legalize alcohol and cannabis. Keep everything else illegal. Most drug addicts are people with a psychological disorder. They should be helped. They should not be encouraged to use drugs. Using drugs to feel better or to forget or to be able to "function" is a prime example of why these people should not use drugs. Some people are more prone to addiction research indicates and thus use of drugs should not be encouraged by legalizing it. It will cause an exponentially increase of problems in society.

Some people do not 100% of the time have the state of mind to realize that. People who use occasionally the hard drugs(cocaine or heroine for example) and who do not get addicted because of the infrequent use are also people who are mentally stable.

However, humans need ways to relief stress and sport or good sex is not always an option. Thus the occasional pint of beer or joint will not do much more harm than living in a smog city.

The reason why Portugal is doing so well, is not the legalization of drugs but the offer for therapy instead of prison, removing the fear of prison and the fear of being an outcast. Exactly as i stated above.
There is a pattern to be found when you look at the typical drug(including alcohol) addict. These are people with serious unrecognized issues or people who from the start are difficult to socialize with. It is rare that successful people who also use occasional drugs get addicted because their ability to properly prioritize by logic. They know when enough is enough. When you can no longer make that priority decision when you are under influence you are in grave danger.

Portugal decriminalized all drugs, but stopped short of legalization because of international treaties. You do know there's a difference, don't you?
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,123
12
81
O please...

You naive idiots and your "lets legally allow all lethal drugs" idea.

Legalize alcohol and cannabis. Keep everything else illegal. Most drug addicts are people with a psychological disorder. They should be helped. They should not be encouraged to use drugs. Using drugs to feel better or to forget or to be able to "function" is a prime example of why these people should not use drugs. Some people are more prone to addiction research indicates and thus use of drugs should not be encouraged by legalizing it. It will cause an exponentially increase of problems in society.

Some people do not 100% of the time have the state of mind to realize that. People who use occasionally the hard drugs(cocaine or heroine for example) and who do not get addicted because of the infrequent use are also people who are mentally stable.

However, humans need ways to relief stress and sport or good sex is not always an option. Thus the occasional pint of beer or joint will not do much more harm than living in a smog city.

The reason why Portugal is doing so well, is not the legalization of drugs but the offer for therapy instead of prison, removing the fear of prison and the fear of being an outcast. Exactly as i stated above.
There is a pattern to be found when you look at the typical drug(including alcohol) addict. These are people with serious unrecognized issues or people who from the start are difficult to socialize with. It is rare that successful people who also use occasional drugs get addicted because their ability to properly prioritize by logic. They know when enough is enough. When you can no longer make that priority decision when you are under influence you are in grave danger.

What if we made it legal to make, sell, possess and privately use such drugs, but illegal to even be in public (or drive) while under the influence? This would be similar to alcohol, but would not allow for "Drug Bars" or other such things.

MotionMan
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,679
119
106
Then by all means, let's start executing the habitual criminals who have shown no want, need, or desire to become productive members of society.
Instead of housing them, feeding them, providing them with nearly unlimited health care, just execute them and get it done...then, the only added cost will be an expanded prison graveyard...

let's just execute all the idiots we have in this country :sneaky:

or better yet, let's deport them to the middle east, cuz who gives a fuck about them. or better yet, mexico, it would be cheaper
 

Fayd

Diamond Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,970
2
76
www.manwhoring.com
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14490187





whoa that 3rd strike law ain't no joke. but life without parole? DAYUM!!D:

i don't believe in life imprisonment. either death penalty, or long term imprisonment. but life is just fucked.

it's essentially saying that this man deserves to be a drain on the state for the rest of his life.


people who have the capacity to be useful contributors to society should be rehab-ed. people who don't, should be killed.
 

hanoverphist

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2006
9,867
23
76
I think drug penalties in general are stiff, but repeat offenders deserve what they get, like this guy.

this. if you choose to not follow the law and you already know the consequences, you pay them and i dont feel bad at all. id call that life without parole for being an idiot, not for selling crack.
 

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
10
0
Y'know...that's a pretty good idea...but would depend entirely on the circumstance of said murder.

Pre-meditated murder, murder for hire, (including the hiring of murderer) other "cold-blooded" murder, including murder in the commission of a felony...then yes, Spark them up.

"Murder in the heat of passion," which is what MOST murders are, not necessarily.

Spark? Bullet to the head is cheaper, quicker and more reliable.
 

MotF Bane

No Lifer
Dec 22, 2006
60,801
10
0
Hell, I'm also in favor of using the death penalty for corrupt politicians and government employees too...

Get caught in a bribery scandal? "Off with his head!"

(in case you can't tell, I favor victim's rights far more than criminal's rights...the death penalty doesn't need to be 100% "pain-free" to avoid the constitutional requirement of "cruel and unusual punishment."

Hangings, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad...all are fine as long as they're done right...and the person dies relatively fast.

Corrupt politicians should be tried for treason, and there are some very old punishments for treason that I really quite like.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Corrupt politicians should be tried for treason, and there are some very old punishments for treason that I really quite like.

I was doing some reading on the Code of Hammurabi earlier today.

I don't have a problem with going back to this.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
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.

This does seem kinda odd. Didn't some study say that the longer you are unemployed, the more likely you are to stay unemployed? Sitting around and working out all day doesn't seem very productive. Life in jail should at least partially resemble real life so it's easy to integrate reformed criminals back into society. Right now it's two completely different worlds. If you're the kind of person to make it through prison, then you probably are not the kind of person who will do well outside of prison. If you were a banker outside of prison, you won't survive prison.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,123
12
81
This does seem kinda odd. Didn't some study say that the longer you are unemployed, the more likely you are to stay unemployed? Sitting around and working out all day doesn't seem very productive. Life in jail should at least partially resemble real life so it's easy to integrate reformed criminals back into society. Right now it's two completely different worlds. If you're the kind of person to make it through prison, then you probably are not the kind of person who will do well outside of prison. If you were a banker outside of prison, you won't survive prison.

ORLY?

tim-robbins.jpg


;)

MotionMan
 

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,553
834
126
Actually with some guidance people like this could go on to be very successful in totally legal ventures. Jay Z got the money to start his record label from selling crack. If things had went slightly different when he was a dealer, he could be serving life in prison. Many drug dealers have very good business minds, but very few have the foresight to see anything beyond the streets they slang on. 50 Cent is another one, and both went on to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. There's a chance this dude could have been rehabilitation but the state would rather give no help and just keep locking them up until it's for life.

If the government went after anyone it should be the guy who's behind the Cocaine that's used to make the Crack. 100% the OP doesn't have that power or connects, he's a low man on the totem pole at best. It's similar to busting a guy who download MS Office off a Torrent and not going after the group that released it. Makes no sense to me.
 
Jun 27, 2005
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What if we made it legal to make, sell, possess and privately use such drugs, but illegal to even be in public (or drive) while under the influence? This would be similar to alcohol, but would not allow for "Drug Bars" or other such things.

MotionMan

LOL at the idea of a 'bar' full of crack heads all getting high... what could possibly go wrong?
 
Jun 27, 2005
19,216
1
61
Wasn't there a story a while back about a guy who got his third strike stealing a candy bar? Seems harsh for the specific crime but taken as a whole, three felony convictions pretty much means you are incapable of living in a civilized society.
 

actuarial

Platinum Member
Jan 22, 2009
2,814
0
71
Ignoring how stupid the war on drugs is, and that repeat offenders shouldn't always get life in prison: would you throw a guy in prison for life for punching three different people in the face? (assault)

So a guy sells some crack, and the result of this is punishing him such that it is infinitely harder to do anything OTHER than selling crack. This guy already feels he has enough incentive to sell crack and then is given more incentive. Is anyone surprised he does it again? Was anything ever done to reduce his incentive to sell crack?

Call me a bleeding heart liberal, or call me someone who doesn't want to open his pocketbook to throw money down a sinkhole.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,137
12,457
136
let's just execute all the idiots we have in this country :sneaky:

or better yet, let's deport them to the middle east, cuz who gives a fuck about them. or better yet, mexico, it would be cheaper

Y'know...Texas was talking about building a wall around the state...We could just send them there...and increase the size of the wall...:p
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,957
8,204
126
Three strikes laws are bullshit. The courts should never be run by mindless bureaucracy. There should always be some attempt at making intelligent human decisions regarding the specific details of each case. Politicians can't run their own offices, much less a court system.
 
Apr 17, 2003
37,622
0
76
Three strikes laws are bullshit. The courts should never be run by mindless bureaucracy. There should always be some attempt at making intelligent human decisions regarding the specific details of each case. Politicians can't run their own offices, much less a court system.

Judges are popularly elected to they have to abide by the mindless bureaucracy to appear tough on crime.
 

catilley1092

Member
Mar 28, 2011
159
0
76
Judges are popularly elected to they have to abide by the mindless bureaucracy to appear tough on crime.
You're right. But justice is usually bought, the well to do gets off, the poor goes to prison.

Along with a couple of other wars that we're involved in, the funding of the "drug war" should cease.

This would shift the balance, and will allow for those who truly commits serious crimes to be incarcerated. We cannot continue to afford to throw away the key on small time drug users/sellers, as well as other non-violent petty crimes (like the candy bar theft).

Cat