I just found an intersting article on the national center for policy analysis about violent crime. The article says that violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the United States despite reports of a decline in the overall crime rate. http://www.ncpa.org/pi/crime/vc.html
The article refers to “revolving-door justice”, which means that violent criminals get released from jail as quickly as they get locked up. The facts mentioned in the article shock; Barely one criminal goes to prison for every 100 violent victimizations, And most violent prisoners serve less than half their sentence behind bars before being released.
Unfortunately, mainly prison overcrowding causes this “revolving-door”. It disgusts me to see violent criminals released back on the streets, where they proceed to threaten and victimize innocent citizens, such as yourself, myself, our families, and our friends. What makes this even more disgusting and even more sad is that this revolving-door could be avoided if only our government would stop wasting resources on victimless crimes. Over 25% of the inmates in the United States are non-violent drug “offenders”. By focusing law enforcement, rehabilitation, and incarceration on violent criminals who victimize other people, rather than wasting resources on victimless “crimes”, the jails would have room for over 33% more violent criminals.
I want innocent citizens defended from victimization. Accordingly, I want the government to stop wasting resources on victimless “crimes” and non-violent non-harmful “offenders”, and I want violent criminals kept in jail until they are rehabilitated and pose no threat to you, me, my family, or friends.
-Scott Hughes
Wednesday, November 1st 2006 at 6:03 pm
80% of the prison population in England and Wales are inside becauuse of drug and alcohol related crimes. A large number of those with whom I work have had atrocious parenting, poor schooling and lousy role models. Many need a firm, loving and supportive regime in the community, but to concentrate problems in a prison or indeed ain a dry house, where all those have the same propensity to take drugs even if at the time they are not is stupid.
Wednesday, November 1st 2006 at 4:07 pm
Scott,
I fully support your point of view. I am a prison officer in a high security prison. Two days ago a prisoner approached me and ended up sobbing. He acknowleges that he is an alcaholic and has never been arrested whilst sober. The last time he was at my prison he received an 8 week sentence and started on a rehabilitation course. Overcrouding pressures saw him transferred out of my establishment to a prison in the north of England, where he could not continue his rehabilitation. A few weeks later he was given a train ticket back to London, got off at Kings Cross and went to the nearest Pub, being homeless, having lost his council flat through being in prison. He got drunk, broke his anti-social behaviour order and was arrested. After an appearance in front of the magistrate, he was sent back to me! So the revolving door continues to turn….
Mark & Mike,
Clearly you have never seen the inner workings of a prison. The modern service now has an almost hostpital ethos, where prisoners are treated more like patients. The idea that people should not be sent to prison for committing a serious crime, simply because they may learn to commit a more serious crime, is bizarre to say the least; I wonder if you would continue with this notion if you or a close member of your family were the victim. You must remember that ‘prison’ is the punitive element to a sentence for a serious offence. The alternative is to have all muggers and burlars living next door to you!
Martyn
Wednesday, August 23rd 2006 at 5:06 pm
I agree. I find prison is nothing more than a training ground for criminals, I’ve often heard this view reflected by inmates while being interviewed. Clearly prison is not the answer.
Tuesday, August 22nd 2006 at 10:46 am
This is so right. However, I don’t agree with the premise that prison rehabilitates. If you take a poorly behaved child and put him in a group of well behaved children, he will begin to behave better. If you take a well behaved child and put him a group of poorly behaved children, he will begin to behave poorly.