Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
Three times your out, does it says what the previous crimes were. And most won't die in prison, life in prison isn't life in prison in America. I admit it is a really harsh system, but over here people who have a criminal record the size of the bill of rights get away with everything every time, at a certain point they should be removed from society. Where that point should be laying I don't know.
Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
The life time/capita number (50/100.000) in the US is about 60% of the total prisoners in the Netherlands (82/100.000). And the total number per capita is 9 times higher in the US (743/100.000), giving them about 25% of the prisoners in the world.Originally Posted by Fragony
I think that counts as going overboard.
And 3 times you're out is probably too few times for those who turn around after starting to commit crimes. It may take 2 or more times before the descision to change really comes.
Last edited by Ironside; 11-20-2013 at 14:05. Reason: Wiki had 716, it appears to be 743 nowadays though.
We are all aware that the senses can be deceived, the eyes fooled. But how can we be sure our senses are not being deceived at any particular time, or even all the time? Might I just be a brain in a tank somewhere, tricked all my life into believing in the events of this world by some insane computer? And does my life gain or lose meaning based on my reaction to such solipsism?
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Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
The US seriously needs to remove corporate/private financial interests from where they don't belong. You should never have a situation where it is in the financial interests of the prison authorities to keep prisoners for as long as possible. Where judges have shares in those organizations!
1/4 of the world's prison population in the 'leader of the free world', lol. More blacks in prison today than there were slaves in 1850. And some of them on the sites of former plantations! If I was born black in America I would be doing everything I could to leave. I don't see how anybody can think this is a healthy situation.
Never mind that US prisons look a lot meaner than British ones. How can putting people in a state of perpetual race war, where petty criminals have to join brutal gangs possibly help to prepare people for re-integrate into society?
Last edited by Rhyfelwyr; 11-20-2013 at 13:16.
At the end of the day politics is just trash compared to the Gospel.
Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
As a raw number it's not impressive, but what is it, 2% of all life-sentences? That's a bit more troubling; should be more like 0.1% in a properly-functioning system.3278. Out of millions. Not impressive at all.
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Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
In general I agree that many of these cases are terrible (though as Tincow pointed out, sometimes the definition of non-violent is stretched). It's a result, I think, of the whole 'tough on crime' attitude cultivated by both parties in the US for decades because that's what appeals to the voters. It's presented as a black and white issue that most voters don't see the wrong side of.
One thing I wanted to note, however, in response to a couple folks;
The privatized prison issue is a minor part of this overall. I think a bigger part (though not the main part) is the public employee unions, specifically those like the California Prison Guards Union:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3894490.html
http://ordinary-gentlemen.com/blog/2...-prison-system
http://www.againstcronycapitalism.or...on-population/
http://www.policymic.com/articles/41...vert-democracy
These are not corporate interests, nor should they be labeled as such. To say the unions are becoming corporate because they support more people in prison is disingenuous to me. It seems like a view that doesn't want to accept that unions can do wrong, or rather that 'unionism' or what have you is fundamentally good, while 'corporatism' is fundamentally bad.
The labels are important because you have to correctly identify the problem in order to solve it.
I think, of those tissues you stated, only the war on drugs is a main driver for an increasingly authoritarian state.
CR
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Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
Life in jail for three counts of theft doesn't strike you as authoritarian? Seriously?
Still maintain that crying on the pitch should warrant a 3 match ban
Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
There's nothing authoritarian about it. It might be unnecessarily harsh depending on the circumstances of the crime, but that doesn't have a thing to do with authoritarianism. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
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Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
The USA is bigger. I am getting a bit tired of the US-bashing that mostly seems to come from Scandinavian countries. Oh so better. No you arent't, you are just being jerks. That arrogance doesn't look good on you. Especially since the rape-statistics of your lands of unicorns and rainbows would shame any third world country. Best to shut up before you point any fingers.
Last edited by Fragony; 11-20-2013 at 15:03.
Re: The Glorious American Justice system!
China is 4 times bigger. And is a dictorship. And has less prisoners. If you combine the prisoners and ‘detention centres’, then you get a similar size in numbers. So that's 1/4 of the number, with about 30% blatant political prisoners. UK is a western European anomaly with about 150.
It's not a US vs Scandinavia on this one, it's US stands out a lot compared to the rest of the world (presumably due to the war on drugs). Globally, the US is more normal on tax policies, gun control and police abuse/SWAT teams than on this.
Rape statistics contains an actual increase, but is also mostly a mixture of increased reporting (that or those immigrants doesn't ever do assult rapes) and changes in what constitutes rape instead of severe sexual harasment.
Last edited by Ironside; 11-20-2013 at 19:06.
We are all aware that the senses can be deceived, the eyes fooled. But how can we be sure our senses are not being deceived at any particular time, or even all the time? Might I just be a brain in a tank somewhere, tricked all my life into believing in the events of this world by some insane computer? And does my life gain or lose meaning based on my reaction to such solipsism?
Project PYRRHO, Specimen 46, Vat 7
Activity Recorded M.Y. 2302.22467
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