Prisons

1. 82

   gmwilliamsposted 4 years ago

   
   Should there be prisons or should prisons evolved from punishment systems to educational reform systems to help criminals see the reasons for their crimes & educate them to fully integrate into society?

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   1. 82

      GA Andersonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      My first thought about that was relative to 'Re-education camps'.
      
      Prisons are for the punishment of lawbreakers. The price of an action. Pay the price, be done with it, and move on with your life. (I anticipate your arrival hard sun, there is a lot wrong with our treatment of ex-lawbreakers, but I don't think it is the concept of a price for an action)
      
      If our society is too 'compassionate' for that thought, then re-education would seem the logical alternative. But of course, the next question would be to wonder about the success rate of re-education camps.  (assuming, again, of course, that re-education camps aren't a bad thing.)
      
      I say keep prisons for what their purpose is; to punish lawbreakers and remove them from civilized society for a period of time. It would be great to be able to offer re-acclimation resources for those that want the change and help—but, in my opinion,  that is not the purpose of prisons.
      
      I find that I frequently see parallels to current societal problems in my past science fiction readings. I remember one where society had the technology to create force field barriers around society centers. Lawbreakers that couldn't abide by society's rules were simply banished beyond the barriers. No inhuman treatment, no confinement, they were free to live their life—just not in a society of civilized folks.
      
      I think I would prefer that to "re-education" centers.
      
      GA

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      1. 82

         gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Great, analytical answer as usual Gus.  Continue the discussion.

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      2. 95

         wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I recall a similar (or the same) SF tale.  It made sense, particularly as the "prisoner" the story was about was eventually released.  Biggest problem I recall is that the sentence was for small ticket items such as speeding.  Several of them, but still small potato things. 
         
         But I WOULD like to see our prisons put some major effort into "rehabbing" prisoners, whether it is called re-education or something else.  The problem is we are paying a very (VERY!) large cost for those prisons and prisoners...only to let them out after "paying their debt" and watch them go right back in.  That needs to change.

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   2. 73

      Miebakagh57posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      gm, prisons are here to stay. Reform is a must. So is the re-education of the prisoner(s).                I do not want to go into more details here because reform of prisons is largely determined by political rather than social consideration.                  Prisons were set up for the punishment of wrong doers. In the old days, many thousands of years ago, criminals like rapists, adulters, thieves, murders, and many others were usually banish to an inhabit area, away from the civil. Like as Anderson said, their lives out a solitary life (at times at the mercy of a beast).                           Have you notice that some criminals whether given a lighter or heavy sentense comes out and repeat the same crime? The late George Floyd, right? So prisons must stay.

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2. 82

   GA Andersonposted 4 years ago

   I agree with your point, although I don't like the word re-hab, as it is associated with prisons. But the word does carry your point
   
   Good guys can do bad things and make bad choices and some bad guys may sincerely want to change. So I also think it would be a good thing to have those "re-hab" options. But still, prisons have a primary purpose and it isn't to be re-education centers.
   
   I guess it was just the thought "re-education" provokes that prompted my first response.
   
   GA

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3. 45

   KhalilWritesposted 4 years ago

   I think they must develop criteria to assess if the prisoner could change or it's just a mistake
   if a prisoner can then he must be educated if not nothing can be done

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