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How would you change the Criminal Justice System?

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Bukwis On February 05, 2013




Port Edward, Canada
#16New Post! Nov 01, 2011 @ 03:42:32
@hoppy Said

I never knew a harmless druggie. I knew plenty of thieves of all sorts, who were drug users. A few wife beaters who were users. The only time a doper is harmless is when he/she is in jail.


That goes double for drunks.
JR_Sanford On August 02, 2017




Portland (St. Johns), Oregon
#17New Post! Nov 01, 2011 @ 03:55:03
@fitzyp Said

One of the biggest reasons for the infrequency of my posts in this forum is because the forums in this section are generally really partisan. What I mean is that they are generally set up with something like: "Obama does something stupid", "The GOP candidates are all insane" or "Fox news is biased". Whilst these are all worth while threads to start as someone who isn't really interested in defending Obama and knows how crazy the GOP candidates are there isn't really much to discuss. So I'm starting this thread and probably others to get political discussions moving in a way that get people to state for themselves what should be done and to defend their own ideas rather than setting people up to defend or attack particular politicians.


So my question for people is what would you change in your countries criminal justice system? Or USAs criminal justice system or criminal justice systems in general? Would you increase sentences for all? let everyone free? Increase/decrease the war on drugs? What about the death penalty?


Free all marijuana users. Legalize marijuana and tax it to death. Decriminalize all recreational drug use. Expunge all records after 10 years. Go after the corporate criminals and fine them to make them broke. Legalize prostitution and tax that as well. No death penalty either.

J.R.
fitzyp On December 23, 2014




Auckland, New Zealand
#18New Post! Nov 01, 2011 @ 05:18:52
@hoppy Said

No. Just the druggies.


You really begged the question right there. As the earlier poster mentioned, it costs a lot of money to lock people up on drug convictions. If you consider yourself a fiscal conservative which I believe you do you must surely have good reasons to justify such huge amounts of spending. What is your justification?
Jennifer1984 On July 20, 2022
Returner and proud





Penzance, United Kingdom
#19New Post! Nov 01, 2011 @ 06:06:34
@fitzyp Said


So my question for people is what would you change in your countries criminal justice system? Or USAs criminal justice system or criminal justice systems in general? Would you increase sentences for all? let everyone free? Increase/decrease the war on drugs? What about the death penalty?



I would improve rehabilitation programmes. Direct more resources towards what I call a "Three Pronged Attack".

Firstly, the offender has to know that they did wrong. Yes, we all know the difference between right and wrong, but so many offenders simply shrug their shoulders at their criminality. They don't deal with the root cause of why they are criminals in the first place.

Criminals need to be helped to feel genuine remorse for their crimes and educated that there is a better way in life... that they have an alternative to crime. I am quite impressed by the progress made in the area of reconciliation by "Restorative Justice" programmes, whereby offenders and the people they have affected (who consent to take part)are brought together. The criminal sees their victim.... hears their story.... learns what he has done to them.... and he can apologise to them face to face.

This is a powerful psychological tool and the effects of that so far have been quite impressive here. I think it is worth developing programmes like this.

Secondly, I would institute proper educational and vocational programmes whilst in prison. So many criminals are poorly educated, have no skills and no prospects of useful, gainful employment after release. Is it any wonder they return to crime when they get out...? Give a man a decent chance in life, I say.

Thirdly, the government should encourage employers to take on those men released from prison. Too many times, they have no job prospects and simply drift back to what they know because they have no other means of supporting themselves or their families. Give them a realistic chance of getting work.


Now...... it is a given that some criminals will always be criminals, no matter what. They are simply bad to the bone. Those who persistently re-offend should be given harsh, long sentences. They are inherently recidivistic and care nothing for society. Why should they have the liberty to commit offences against decent people..?

But for many, they have made one mistake in their lives... or they were led astray by others.... or simply acted out of desperation or because of circumstances. They deserve a second chance.

Justice must be merciful and compassionate as well as protecting the public. I think both can be achieved if it is properly resourced and organised. It won't be perfect, but I think it would probably prevent more re-offending and perhaps that is the best we can hope for.


.
hoppy On August 27, 2013




,
#20New Post! Nov 01, 2011 @ 10:47:00
@fitzyp Said

You really begged the question right there. As the earlier poster mentioned, it costs a lot of money to lock people up on drug convictions. If you consider yourself a fiscal conservative which I believe you do you must surely have good reasons to justify such huge amounts of spending. What is your justification?


It's part of my plan to "adjust" the criminal justice system. Why does it cost a huge amount to jail druggies? Lawyers, trials for one. You get caught with drugs, you pay a fine and/or go to jail, depending on the amount of drugs. No appeals and drawn out trials. You go to jail, don't look for gyms, weight or workout rooms and equipment, TV's, or other perks. You get minimal medical care, a library to use. All jails and prisons would be pretty spartan places.
I might allow some prison industry, open to non violent low risk prisoners.
fitzyp On December 23, 2014




Auckland, New Zealand
#21New Post! Nov 02, 2011 @ 04:52:29
@hoppy Said

It's part of my plan to "adjust" the criminal justice system. Why does it cost a huge amount to jail druggies? Lawyers, trials for one. You get caught with drugs, you pay a fine and/or go to jail, depending on the amount of drugs. No appeals and drawn out trials. You go to jail, don't look for gyms, weight or workout rooms and equipment, TV's, or other perks. You get minimal medical care, a library to use. All jails and prisons would be pretty spartan places.
I might allow some prison industry, open to non violent low risk prisoners.


So your solution to current problems with the criminal justice system is to remove due process from it. If there isn't even an attempt to establish the facts, how do you even know if someone is guilty? Especially considering a current problem in America is that a large amount of cops plant drugs/weapons on people, how will the accused even defend themselves?

It is also important to note that the large amount of prison costs don't really come from gym equipment or from televisons but from simple running of the prison, the facilities and the guards.

On a sort of side note I just want to point out that a system where people don't get a fair trial or any reproach from the law before they are sentenced to terms in hellish prisons resembles much more closely what you would find in a dictatorship than in any democracy.
hazuki0chan On July 18, 2012
Zombie Slayer





San Francisco, California
#22New Post! Nov 02, 2011 @ 05:00:48
I would think decriminalizing drug use. Someone else mentioned before, this only exacerbates the economy, seeing how it's costly to lock someone up. The so called "justice system" has become a business; it has no intention of actually rehabilitating perpetrators for their crimes. However, I don't consider possession of marijuana a crime, even though it is. This law makes no sense, but that's besides the point.
Yankees On November 28, 2012




, New Jersey
#23New Post! Nov 02, 2011 @ 05:16:14
@fitzyp Said

So your solution to current problems with the criminal justice system is to remove due process from it. If there isn't even an attempt to establish the facts, how do you even know if someone is guilty? Especially considering a current problem in America is that a large amount of cops plant drugs/weapons on people, how will the accused even defend themselves?

It is also important to note that the large amount of prison costs don't really come from gym equipment or from televisons but from simple running of the prison, the facilities and the guards.

On a sort of side note I just want to point out that a system where people don't get a fair trial or any reproach from the law before they are sentenced to terms in hellish prisons resembles much more closely what you would find in a dictatorship than in any democracy.



don't even bother explaining it to him.....he cannot think logically
Jennifer1984 On July 20, 2022
Returner and proud





Penzance, United Kingdom
#24New Post! Nov 02, 2011 @ 06:28:05
@fitzyp Said

So your solution to current problems with the criminal justice system is to remove due process from it. If there isn't even an attempt to establish the facts, how do you even know if someone is guilty? Especially considering a current problem in America is that a large amount of cops plant drugs/weapons on people, how will the accused even defend themselves?

It is also important to note that the large amount of prison costs don't really come from gym equipment or from televisons but from simple running of the prison, the facilities and the guards.

On a sort of side note I just want to point out that a system where people don't get a fair trial or any reproach from the law before they are sentenced to terms in hellish prisons resembles much more closely what you would find in a dictatorship than in any democracy.



Well said, Fitzy.

All too often, when reading posts on subjects such as this, the "hang 'em, flog 'em, lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key element always propose those things as if they would some sort of panacea for all the ills of the world.

They aren't.

Policing and the criminal justice system can only exist with the consent of the people and although a few noisy extremists, more often than not provoked by inflammatory articles in right wing newspapers such as the Daily Mail, call for barbaric methods of punishment, this is something that we've moved away from and the vast - silent - majority of people in Britain don't want to see ever come back (and even if they wanted it, it wouldn't be possible as capital punishment is banned in all 27 EU member states).

It is accepted that there is too much crime, that sentencing at this time is more a matter of financial expediency than a true reflection of the offence committed and that there is too much repeat offending. I don't disagree with that.

But if we accept that cost is to be a factor... certainly for the foreseeable future.... then it is a better option to reduce re-offending.

A reduction in re-offending achieves a number of goals all of which are beneficial to society AND the individual concerned. In my opinion, effective rehabilitation is the key to preventing re-offending and thus reducing the amount of crime.


.
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