^nice rant forty...commendable

 

Yeah, Forty,

I heard about such things in US and Europe, and I definitely agree that this is a huge step in what I think is the right direction from what those countries had before and what we still have in Russia.

However (I'm starting to hate this word) there are other serious problems with traditional way of punishment that are not addressed yet anywhere worldwide, as far as I know. I personally see two major problems, and there may be more that I'm missing.

First, even in those humanized jails people still live in controlled environment, where they do not need to worry about food and shelter, do not need to earn their living, and where most if not all of important decisions are made for them. They lose those skills as a result, and experience a huge shock when faced with those tasks after being released. Many commit new crimes being overwhelmed by this stress, many prefer to commit new crime consciously in order to go back to the familiar environment. And the more years they spend behind the fence, the more they lose normal life skills, and the less they are likely to be able to adapt to normal life.

Second, the society as a whole does not make a task of returning to normal life an easy one. When one is released from jail, his credit history is a wreck, nobody is willing to give him a job, and nobody is willing to provide him with a shelter. I wouldn’t call this a level playing field, this a severe handicap.

Because of those things I’m still pretty sure that our civilization as a whole is not really concerned with correction of criminals, and their detention primarily serves isolation and revenge goals…

 

I cannot believe I forgot to include this important fact.. At my dad's facility you are NOT allowed to have people bring you cigarettes, toothbrushes, deodorant, things of that nature. All the inmates are on a work a schedule, and they earn credits just like money. They do odd jobs, cleanup around the facility, maintenence, highway cleanup, etc.. There is a big store in the facility in which they are allowed to go and spend their credits on said items, just like you would in the real world. It's a fantastic step in the right direction if you ask me. I totally agree with what you said, with them being overwhelmed when they are released. But I think this system that was implemented is started to cure those woes.

However, you're right, "fresh out da joint" they are subject to a sever hadicap. One of my best friends actually spent 11 years locked up, and considers himself VERY lucky to be where he is today. He's got two kids, basically a wife (they're not married, but might as well be..), and they live in a nice home in a small town outside of the city. He works for a company that travels the U.S. repairing heavy duty machinery and conveyors, and setting up lifts in places like Harley shops. My point to this is that as long as they learn the proper skills while they're in prison, and have enough drive to do right once they're out, they can live normal lives.

It's just too bad more prisons don't follow the same procedures as the ones he was in.

 

i dont think the death penalty is right. because even though he did take someones life God will deal with that when he dies. and you didnt give him life so why should you be able to take it away the only person who has that right is God. if you were to put him to the death penalty you would be doing the same thing as he did taking someones life.

 

But in a religous eye, if someone dies, "it's their time." So if a man was sentenced to death, isn't that all part of god's plan? It's the "chicken or the egg" situation, a tough one to answer.

 

Yeah, especially considering that you have to apply the same logic to the homeless death, too... I agree, there is no answer to this in western culture.

 

I fully support what you are saying. I was just entertaining a thought what would be the feasible answer if one approaches the punishment from the pure eye for an eye point of view.