You are citing examples that pertain to the legal system. I am talking about the prison system. It is no big secret there are many examples of what I think should be legal.Cheeky_Ninja06 wrote:
As an immediate off the top of my head example. A farmer was robbed multiple times and the police were next to useless. The next time he was robbed he shot (killing) one of the robbers while another escaped. The farmer was then sentenced to prison for murder. He did commit murder, but hes not exactly a danger to society.
I know of somebody who has a 2 year prison sentence for committing an £800 fraud when he was earning over 150k a year. Obviously he argues it was an accounting error rather than deliberate. However he will be spending those 2 years mixing with all the typical criminals such as your ABH / GBH, murderers, sex criminals, perhaps more serious fraudsters.
Contrastingly a cyclist shouted at somebody to move out of the way or he'd run them over, they didn't move, he hit and killed them receiving a £2,000 fine. That doesn't feel like justice to me.
Other crimes that warrant prison time:
Graffiti
Prostitution
Drug possession
Dangerous driving
Graffiti is an interesting one as it could arguably be the start of a slippery slope OR it could be "grown out of" and just something a normal member of society looks back on as something stupid they did when they were younger.
Prostitution, again as I said sometimes good people are driven to do bad things. Yes its a crime but it easy to imagine a situation where somebody feels they have no other option. I am not saying it is all societies fault but im sure you can agree that given the choice many people would not be involved in prostitution.
Drug possession, well you have already agreed this needs reform.
Dangerous driving, another example of good people doing bad / stupid things. A rather famous example went around the internet community a couple of years back where somebody failed to properly read the road conditions and ended up half spinning in the road, at just the wrong time a motorcyclist came in the other direction around the blind corner and straight into the side of the spun car receiving multiple serious injuries. The car driver received a lengthy jail sentence, understandably due to the injuries to the motorcyclist. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the car driver required a stay in the prison hell you would like to create to appreciate the error of his ways and would argue that it would have little positive effect. Half spinning is a situation I would estimate that the vast majority (if not all) car drivers have or will experience at least once throughout their driving career unfortunately on this occasion a motorcyclist was in the wrong place at the wrong time but in any other instance the accident would have gone completely unpunished. Im not sure on the correct answer but it is perhaps food for thought.
While few of these crimes are victimless none of these perpetrators had intent to cause harm / personal injury with the exception of graffiti property damage.
I have not once tried to remove blame from the criminals, I did not suggest it was their teachers fault or anything else. I am staggered that you continue to deny that exposure to prison increases the likelihood of re offending.
You yourself stated that you are trying to set an example to your children by showing them not to get involved with the wrong crowd, yet you continue to deny that lumping people in with the wrong crowd can have any impact upon their future choices.
EDIT:http://www.rethinking.org.uk/facts/reth … ldren.htmlReconviction rates for children leaving prison are high. Of 14-16 year olds released in 1997, 84% were reconvicted within two years, with 6 out of 10 going back to prison.
Thats almost the same failure rate as you are slating rehab for. So by your own argument it is a complete waste of time and money.
Still disagree, people repeat because of their decision to repeat, not because society made them and the fact that they were probably an asshole to begin with.
