Way back in the 70s, studies found that 99% of inmates were repeat offenders. Same study also found that 99% of first time offenders that went to prison, never returned to prison. They got their priorities straight.
In this country, the death penalty is not a deterrent. Most of the incarcerations are misapplied to folks who should not be incarcerated. It is sad, this once great nation thinks that warehousing people is a good thing.
Kevin
I don't know what studies you're talking about, but if they were accurate at the time I doubt they are now. My observation has been that with the current system, offenders are not sentenced to prison until they have offended repeatedly. The point being that with very rare exceptions
there just aren't any first time offenders in prison. Verging on NONE.
Who's being incarcerated that shouldn't be? Yes, most of the crimes are committed by people with substance abuse problems. But what else are you going to do with them. Drug treatment doesn't work all that well even with ones that want it. Most of them chose and will continue to choose their lifestyle. Treatment programs have no chance of success with them.
I volunteer in a maximum security prison. I have good relationships with the men I work with. Most I deal with express regret and remorse for their actions that got them there. Many of the guys I work with have an L (life sentence), some multiple life sentences. A minority are getting out soon. Most of those have been in for many years.
Many of these men know the Bible far better than I do. I have great respect for their faith. I also know that they have serious addiction issues and their past history indicates that despite their best intentions and apparent strong faith, many will fall and end up back in prison if not dead first. And these are the cream of the crop in prison. These are the ones that regret their criminal behavior. They are Not like the majority of residents that are doing drugs and are gang members in prison.
I wish these guys the best and pray for their success and consider them brothers in Christ. However, many of them are better off in prison (a really terrible place) than out in society. I know in the the longer term, I don't want them running loose around my friends and family. Some I don't want to get out but celebrate the light they shine in prison and the positive influence they make on the general atmosphere in the prisons. Their life is not without value.
Don't get me wrong. We do have some major successes. Some of our best volunteers and even leaders in full time positions helping men both in and out of prison are former inmates. Some having served many years, some having wasted (largely) most of a lifetime in prisons. These are great men. But they freely acknowledge the dismal recidivism rate even with those that leave prison with the strongest faith and best intentions.
It seems many with addiction histories are just one slip or fall away from going down the same path that put them in prison. Lets face it, we all slip or fall in this life. We pick ourselves up, often with help, and get back on track. With many of these guys with addiction issues, that slip is catastrophic.
So yeah, until we get some control of the drug problem, which is the root issue with the vast majority of these guys, warehousing is a viable solution.
Personally I think the death penalty is appropriate for some. And it should be carried out in a timely manner so that it will provide a deterrence. Some guy getting executed that no one from the neighborhood remembers isn't much of a deterrence.
But it sure needs to be JUSTICE. I've personally observed some dishonest prosecutors, one of which lost his license. I also know some defense attorneys that are calloused and no longer have the right compassion or mindset to assure justice for their clients. Plus, if you get a public defender, the accused may find himself in a world of hurt. When even the best intentioned public defenders have a client load of a hundred or more cases, many public defenders just don't have the time to truly know the accused except for their brief interactions when seeing their clients. They have to rely on what investigators find and witness testimony.
After all that rambling, I don't know the answer. But putting or leaving unrepentant and unreformed on the street doesn't work.
...Ben
...Ben
