Do you fancy the criminal justice system? (EU/USA)

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poll for you guys

grammatical error, it should be "Im going to have to plead"

I don't understand this poll. The two real choices are good-keep it, and bad-get rid of it. I think some prison system is always a necessary evil. But in the US, there is a lot about the system that should be changed.

Although I feel that in some places the system is governed by local popular opinion, I do feel that it serves a purpose.

ye, well, the system is so lame, It just needs to go away. Give it 150 years and it will be gone. cant wait.

My opinion, everyone that likes the system is an a**hole. Its a stupid revenge system. how lame.

It does not even follow the simple "human suffering principle", meaning that a empty house burglary could never result in prison, but a severe case of kidnaping might.

There is no doubt in my mind that some sort of social intervention is required to see to it that a society protects the innocent and deals with the guilty. Unfortunately the system now in operation does a miserable job of this. There is no fix that can be recommended in a few sentences. It is a hugely complicated problem and unfortunately so infiltrated with corruption that easy solutions are not available.

same for me

If one views prison as a 'necessary evil' then one's concept of a prison is an unconscionable injustice by default.

Deterrent and various utilitarian 'justice' systems are moral monstrosities.

In other words, prisons are BS. nice to see some decent people with sound opinions.

You got to be pretty sick to support the current system....is this the kind of thing that you want to keep?


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N_FyIiPKcE[/youtube]

there are few people that deserves prison, however, the people that make the current system possible might be good candidates for prison themselfes.

im not one of them.

QFT.
I voted to "plead the fifth"-the options for "it's all bad" or "it's all good" seemed too narrow.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment should be required study for those making policy (domestic & foreign). Proclaiming it's merely a few "bad apples" in the barrel rather than inherently corrupting "bad barrel" & insisting the social structure (human environment we create) is benign (or alternately "what they all deserve") seems inaccurate & excessively harmful to many who haven't earned such denigrating treatment (whatever one's opinions on egregious & uncontested cases/perpetrators, which are easier to reach consensus on).
Abuses of the incarcerated in our local community of fellow-citizens & globally, with detainees (categorized so as to be in "no category whatsoever", and thus no rules are considered to apply to their treatment) makes us less safe, in my opinion. Overusing punishment for "lifestyle" crimes is also inappropriate: blunt/broad tool for "shades-of-grey" issues (that could/should fall under private prerogative, i.e. it's nobody else's business how I'm livin', if I'm not messing with anybody else's rights/freedoms).

Cutting people open and removing hunks of flesh can be described as violence against the body, but such violence can be beneficial when it is part of a life saving procedure like treating appendicitis. On the other hand, we have seen surgeons too eager to remove tonsils, perform liposuction or nose jobs, and do angioplasty even when they know the artery will soon clog up again. So 'necessary evil in need of management' is how I would describe it.

I think that violent people and certain predators should be locked up for the protection of society. I also think that US prisons are overcrowded with people that do not need to be incarcerated. Not a fan of the death penalty as it is not applied consistently or fairly, it is irreversible, and errors are made. On the other hand, not strenuously opposed to the use of the death penalty in all cases. The US prison system is bloated, and the unnecessary evil should be eliminated.

Not a good poll. Of course prisons are necessary. But the current system is pretty messed up. Click the link below to watch a documentary on the issue - can anyone who watches it all really tell me that the system is working correctly?

Prisons for Profit

I agree with the 1st sentence monty. MIGHT I ADD: I believe that when it comes to violent offenders the purpose of imprisoning them is more than just removal from society: it is to Punish them. I believe that those who commit violent acts against innocent people do NOT deserve protection from violence while serving time. Im suprised no one has brought up the issue of prison rape . The change I would make to the American Criminal Justice system AND to the Penal System is to make a legal distinction between Violent and Non-Violent felonies. Specifically, there should be special prisons ONLY for non-violent felons where violent behaviour is not tolerate. HOWEVER, violent felons should NEVER be granted the luxury of being in a prison where they are protected from violence by other inmates.

It would all be solved if murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers were shot before entering prison.



If I ever for some reason enter prison, I would prefer solo confinement, withdrawn from the public. I will ensure I have such a "privilege". The current system where prison inmates are repeatedly put into risk of being raped is stupid and criminal itself.

Body parts don't have rights.

I am not against prison; I am just against utilitarian "justice". The question of the legitimacy of punishment is ill answered in the idea that we can punish people to improve the lot of others, or to scare them into shape. "Now what right do you have to punish me for the intimidation or amelioration of others?" as Marx once said. You have no right to inflict harm on a person simply because it will make other people's lives better; if their punishment is not earned by the action committed itself, then it is unjust.

Dream On Bro! Thats TOTALLY unconstitutional and is simply NOT going to happen(thank G-d!). You are FOOL not to realize that when it comes to muderers, death is very much a RELEASE. The murder victim is dead, their suffering is over. It is the Family of the victim that continues to suffer for the rest of their lives because of what the murderer did to their loved one. There ARE things worse than death you know. I firmly believe that it is a MUCH more fitting punishment for a murderer to spend the rest of their life in Living Hell; which is EXACTLY what the prison rape experience is all about . I havent an ounce of patience or tolerance BTW for spineless right-wing BONEHEADS who believe that Drug Trafficking is a capital offense. Such imbeciles have campaigned in VAIN to get their banal ideas codified into law, nice going guys .

Then your idea is to torture. Torturing is against all principles and should be looked down upon. You wouldn't be so supportive of prison rape if you had family in prison or you yourself entered prison (how many people have been wrongfully accused?).

I really don't believe in supporting a criminal for life. Drug traffickers should be put to death. Look at the hell they are causing in Mexico and Colombia? Spineless are those bastards who feel it is a desired and necessary lifestyle.