What the author says about improving our justice system may raise some eyebrows. He writes:
What if our justice system were so non-religious that Old Testament type of vengeful punishment of criminals were not necessary? What if judges judged reasonably instead of doing the biblical eye-for-an-eye bit for criminals? Our extremely sick justice system now insists that punishment must fit the crime. Reasoned consequences or responsible restitution is really what should fit the crime, not punishment as such. Taxpayers cough up over $30,000 per year per criminal in prison, violent or not; this exceeds the annual cost of education at most of our excellent universities. We can design and execute really effective probation programs for far less!
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8 comments:
A research project to determine how Americans feel about responding to crime would probably reveal some interesting and, I suspect, not so noble sentiments. I believe that the retribution most americans want is to have the criminal suffer. I remember reading about a study comparing state prison systems in the U.S., that showed the recidivism rate of Texas, one of the most repressive prison systems, and the recidivism rate of Minnesota, one of the most progressive systems were about the same. Surely other factors come into play, but I do not know what they are. Is there a criminologist out there?
Right on, George:
Who actually knows what the recidivism rates are with our expensive prison system(s)? The impression I get is that they are so high as to instill doubts about the value of most rehabilitative efforts as currently employed.
Steve
I just got a personal email that shared one of Paul Harvey's latest diatribes against those minorities who object to, for example, public, Christian prayers at a football game. In the same lecture, Harvey quotes scripture saying we should pray without ceasing. Would just playing the football game fairly, perhaps, be some of this "praying without ceasing." This probably would not violate Christ's command to his followers to always pray in secret, not in public like the hypocrites.
Our newsmedia report Jeffrey Skilling is going to prison for 24 years. He is a talented man who should take responsibility for his crimes, which appear to be really major. But he is not violent, so why lock him up from his age of 52 to 76? Take the Old Testament punitiveness and the consequent sadism out of the picture, and this man could be a very productive member of society who is forced to bring in a very large check every Saturday to his probation officer. The size of such checks and how they would be used to make restitution to the people he injured would take some thought and judgment by the judge. But this should not be impossible, no even as difficult as justifying locking up such a non-violent criminal. This would leave more room behind bars for the violent who ought to be locked up. -- Steve.
In a case such as Jeffery Skilling, I think all his assets should be confiscated and at the very least he should have to pay room, board and other expenses while he serves his time in prison. That seems to be a practical solution to some of the problem.
Why does the taxpayer have to bear the costs of incarcerating a "wealthy" man who has committed crimes against society?
I noted an item in the Oct. 31, 2006, newspaper: "Teens sex predator gets 508 years." A 32-year-old man convicted of using his youthful looks to befriend and sexuallly assault teens was sentenced to 508 years in prison Monday.
I wonder if anyone else sees this as so ridiculous as to merit general ridicule. What a system! Where are the thinkers/rational people in the penal system??
What do you think of the fantastic hypocrisy we are seeing in the fundamentalist minister's sexual escapades as compared to his apparently sincere preachings? After all, that hypocrite deceived millions??? How gullible, how destructive!
Alex,
I think the Rev. Ted Haggard hypocrisy you mentioned is likely very common among the more intelligent ministers, priests and preachers. The smarter ones can surely see that there is no objective evidence for their supernatural prattlings, that they are praying to something purely imaginary as they prey on the insecurities of the less intelligent. This spiritual terrorism brings in easy millions!!
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