Page 1 of 11
1
2
3
... LastLast
  1. #1
    I am Murloc! Roose's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Tuscaloosa
    Posts
    5,040

    America's Love of Prisons

    I ran across some pretty staggering numbers today on incarceration rates. Needles to say, the US is on top. Why is this?

    Why does the US put people in prison at such high rates compared to other major world players?

    What has this done to the US? Why do we keep locking people up?

    How has this benefited the people of the United States of America? Are there any upsides?

    Be awesome if we could get some input from people working in the system.

    Last edited by Roose; 2013-03-25 at 06:51 PM.
    I like sandwiches

  2. #2
    The Lightbringer
    15+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    South Florida
    Posts
    3,817
    This guy sums it up why its like that in the U.S.


  3. #3
    The Insane Kujako's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    In the woods, doing what bears do.
    Posts
    17,987
    Because we have for profit prisons, so people make money by locking others up.
    It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning.

    -Kujako-

  4. #4
    I am Murloc! Roose's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Tuscaloosa
    Posts
    5,040
    Quote Originally Posted by Ave07 View Post
    This guy sums it up why its like that in the U.S.
    Raises similar questions. I am trying to find out why as well.
    I like sandwiches

  5. #5
    Deleted
    War on drugs, gang problems and prisons that focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation.

  6. #6
    Stood in the Fire
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    363
    Because we're a country that loves our independence. Social conformity is a type of swear word. Then, when people act out and it hurts someone instead of accepting that maybe we should behave differently ourselves we look for the fastest possible solution. Lock 'um all up!

  7. #7
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
    Posts
    28,800
    It's the war on drugs, I think, more than anything else.
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  8. #8
    Because we are too pussy to execute people when they are convicted and instead let them live for another 10 years.

  9. #9
    We do have far more population than Europe. We do not have the cradle to grave welfare, thus more want. We have cultures that encourage or at least tolerates violent behavior. Liberal European nations are more likey to use plea to lower the degree of the crime (even if it not deserved, victims life is always cheaper than the murderer), thus lower punishment. Then there is the drug laws, which greatly skews the prison population.

    Though I do not know why it matter what amount of population we have in jails. Society as a whole makes the laws, deviants of the society always going to end up in prison for the breaking the laws. Nice way to not end up in prison is not to break the laws. Laws are already known (First time non violent offenders do not get prison)

  10. #10
    Because you get locked up for a year for possession of a spliff. And the for-profit prisons make sure those kind of punishments stay on the books by "lobbying" (=bribing) politicians and policy-makers.

  11. #11
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by schwank05 View Post
    Because we are too pussy to execute people when they are convicted and instead let them live for another 10 years.
    Yes ! Let's execute people for possession of pot ! Brilliant idea ! That'll solve everything !

  12. #12
    You mean we should accept murder, start murdering people ourselves?

    ---------- Post added 2013-03-22 at 12:21 PM ----------

    It would greatly. Remember this is how China won its drug battles when the British got them addicted to opium. It will work, but that does not mean we should do that as a civilized nation, thus we must suffer always.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by schwank05 View Post
    Because we are too pussy to execute people when they are convicted and instead let them live for another 10 years.
    3000 of the 2,300,000 adults incarcerated are on Death Row. Hardly the group that skews the statistic.

  14. #14
    The Insane Masark's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    17,970
    Quote Originally Posted by schwank05 View Post
    Because we are too pussy to execute people when they are convicted and instead let them live for another 10 years.
    Yet the state with the highest rate of executions is still way up there for incarceration rate.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Butler Log View Post
    Because you get locked up for a year for possession of a spliff. And the for-profit prisons make sure those kind of punishments stay on the books by "lobbying" (=bribing) politicians and policy-makers.
    what is a spliff?

  16. #16
    Deleted
    obviously americans just commit more crimes!

  17. #17
    The Insane Masark's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    17,970
    Quote Originally Posted by artemishunter1 View Post
    what is a spliff?
    marijuana cigarette, aka a joint.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by artemishunter1 View Post
    what is a spliff?
    joint, cannabis/marijuana cigarette, etc.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Butler Log View Post
    Because you get locked up for a year for possession of a spliff. And the for-profit prisons make sure those kind of punishments stay on the books by "lobbying" (=bribing) politicians and policy-makers.
    Ironically, the for profits came into existance because of some liberal lawmakers wanted to improve prison conditions. A noble idea, but they did it too much resulting in so much cost, that gov't shifted to private institutions that don't always follow all the laws.

  20. #20
    The Insane Masark's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    17,970
    Quote Originally Posted by artemishunter1 View Post
    Ironically, the for profits came into existence because of some liberal lawmakers wanted to improve prison conditions.
    I am not entirely sure if there are enough lawmakers in the USA that can reasonably be called "liberal", by an international standard, to actually justify the use of a plural there.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •