I just think the whole death penalty...even jail itself...is such a complex issue...
...I've got no real leaning to any side of it, simply because I can see hundreds of (legit) argments from every direction...
I gues it all comes down to what you believe jail (& execution) is really there for...
...is it; a) Simply a place to 'dispose' of people who have done wrong...just to get them out of society...lock them up so they can't do any more harm?...
...in which case, why not kill them all? Would save a hell of a lot of $ and time and effort and space...(although private prisons kinda put an end to that idea....private prisons, hey!...that's one thing I
do believe is horribly wrong, but anyway....)...
...seriously, if they are there just so 'society' is rid of them, why is 'society' then so concerned about them living...and even living well?
What's with the librarys, the computer access, free education...parole...good behaviour...prison informers....if they are just meant to be out of the picture, none of this stuff is one bit of use, is it?
b) Is it a deterent? Is jail/death penalty really meant to 'scare' people out of committing the crime in the first place?
Well, I think we can safely say that if that is the idea, it simply doesn't work. More people in prison then ever before...
...I guess it would (does!) stop
reasonable people from doing what they feel like doing sometimes! (come on, we've all been there!
)...but the number of people who sit down and run through the consequences before committing a serious crime would be very much in the minority, I'd think.
c) Is jail meant for/capable of rehabilitation? As I said before, parole etc. etc. etc. would lead me to believe that the system is set up for this reason...now whether it works that way is of course the crux of the whole argument.
Is it meant to be the adult version of being sent to your room, where you come out an hour or two later realising what you've done is wrong, feeling bad and totally apologetic, swearing you'll never do it again?
But, of course, saying that and meaning it are two totally different things...how do you know if someone is truly sorry for what they've done? How do you know that a person feels that he/she wants to make a positive contribution to society to try to make up for what they've done?...I can honestly believe there are a reasonable number of inmates who would love the chance to get out for that very ligitimate reason....I can also believe that there are an equal number who don't care one little bit.
...and where then, does the 'punishment' stop?
eg...say, Manslaughter....hit another car and killed someone while driving drunk...first offence DUI...he was a doctor....
...Obviously they've done something horribly wrong, they've taken an innocent life...
...do you a) execute him so that his family knows the pain the victim's family feels?
b) Lock him away for 15 years?...even though he feels truly sorry, and has to live every day with what he has done...
It almost seems pointless to send a respectable, productive member of society to jail...given that his own torment is more of a punishment than being locked in a room could ever be....
....but at the same time, he has done something horribly wrong, and really does need to be punished for the victim's familys sake.
Anyway...such a massively complex issue, imo, the whole crime and punishment thing.
I'd personally like to think that people
can change (esp. over 25 years!!)...and that it's more than just "a couple of books"...but an entirely different/new mindset...a total realisation that although what has happened can never be undone, but to make a genuine attempt to prevent similar things happening in the future...
...I also completely understand that for every person that falls into this category, there are probably 10-20-50-100 others who don't give a crap, and the same amount who act/lie/cheat just to get out of it.
PS. Does anyone else see a jail term of over 10 years as a total hedge?
I mean, if you've done something bad enough to warrant a 10+ year sentence, then you probably don't deserve to be here anyway.
Plus, once you have been locked away for 10 years, surely you're either a) Sorry and ready to make a new start, or b) Beyond help.
Are people only in jail for 25 years on the off chance that they might be innocent??
