Why do prisoners have rights?

Sometimes I feel similar, but what if it was your father/brother/friend? I am sure you would change your prespective. Try to look at the bigger picture than the narrow view. Locking a person in a cage with no outside contact would drive a person insane. Basically giving someone who steals a car a life sentence.

Wow, imagine that. Punishing someone for committing a crime instead of coddling them.

wow imagine wrongfully punishing someone in the manner described by the OP... people are convicted for crimes they don't committi know, let's just stone those who committ crimes, or beat them with stickslet's cut off their hands if they steal... i hear living in fear makes for a wonderful society

Here It Is wrote:

Wow, imagine that. Punishing someone for committing a crime instead of coddling them.

ass rape

different view wrote:

Sometimes I feel similar, but what if it was your father/brother/friend? I am sure you would change your prespective. Try to look at the bigger picture than the narrow view. Locking a person in a cage with no outside contact would drive a person insane. Basically giving someone who steals a car a life sentence.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but that's the whole point. Crime will continue to proliferate until people are literally scared straight (pardon the cliché).

Punishments have to be incredibly harsh. Example: Any attempted murder or crime committed with a deadly weapon should be punishable by death - NO APPEALS!

I don't think that getting sodomized on a daily basis by some fat slob named Bubba is my idea of a walk in the park but that's just me.

I love the \"some innocent man, woman or child might go to jail\" argument.

So, let\'s have no punishment, no deterrance and do nothing because someone might be wrongfully convicted.

Do you know how many \"innocent\" people are convicted yearly? Do you have any idea? Go do some research then come back with the miniscule percentage.

Cutting off hands for stealing isn\'t a bad idea.

Neither is cutting off the head of someone who is as ignorant and naive as you.

You have some serious anger issues.

Here It Is wrote:

I love the "some innocent man, woman or child might go to jail" argument.

So, let's have no punishment, no deterrance and do nothing because someone might be wrongfully convicted.

Do you know how many "innocent" people are convicted yearly? Do you have any idea? Go do some research then come back with the miniscule percentage.

Cutting off hands for stealing isn't a bad idea.

Neither is cutting off the head of someone who is as ignorant and naive as you.

You, like most people on this board, I'm sure can't possible imagine landing yourself in jail. I have friends who are drug dealers, and let me tell you, the thought of them "thrown in a hole with minimal sustenance" really disgusts me. As the first replier said, think about the big picture, bro. Sure, maybe prison would be a SLIGHTLY better deterrent if we made it harsher, but you do realize that there are innocent people who get thrown in jail all the time, right? How many is debatable, but are you really into the idea of throwing thousands of innocent people into "a hole in the ground with minimal sustenance"? I mean, isn't robbing an innocent person of his right to choose what he does with his time, his right to sleep in his own bed, his right to move around and travel enough? Isn't almost completely cutting off someone from all of his friends and family enough? It really is dude, I promise.

Many states have a death penalty for certain crimes, yet those crimes still happen. Might we not conclude that deterence isn't a universal cure all for crime?

I don't claim to have the solution to crime, but I'm pretty sure what you propose isn't it. There's also that little 8th amendment problem.

Here It Is wrote:

Wow, imagine that. Punishing someone for committing a crime instead of coddling them.

most of these people commit crimes between the ages 16-22. when they are YOUNG AND DUMB. One guy in an interview talked about how he got into a street fight when he was 17 years old. The other guy pulled out a knife, so he pulled out a knife as well and stabbed and killed the other kid. Cops came, he got arrested and now is serving his 22nd year in prison, yes he got life. Things are not always black and white, sometimes things are a lot more complicated. Remember he was 17 years old, and the fact of the matter, he didnt do anything more to the other kid than he wouldve gotten done to him. Im NOT saying dont punish him, yes I do believe he should face consequences, but sending a minor to life in prison for making a bad decision is not right.

Another story of a guy who got into a shootout when he was 16 years old and killed one guy. Hes already out of prison but he said "Imagine facing the judge, its 1986 and he tells you that you will not be released until 2001."

You have big business CEOs committing crimes much worse. How many times have you heard of these guys passing a product or merchandise of theirs that ends up killing a bunch of people and the reason for it was because to make the product safer would cost them more money, so for the sake of a few dollars they allow hard working Americans to be sacrificed and killed. What happens to them? NOTHING. I can go on but I would never finish.

Your friendly drug dealers are a cancer that neeeds to be removed, thrown in a cell and never heard from again.

They have rights to be a lawful citizen. Give up those rights and you go to jail where you deserve bread and water 3x a day.

Quit your whining about how badly a criminal may have it. He or she gets what she deserves. Actions have consequences. It\'s high time criminals and you learn that committing a crime results in harsh consequences.

When I was that age, I wasn\'t so \"young and dumb\" to know the difference between right and wrong.

Were you? If so, I feel sorry for your parents.

8/10

Apparently you still don't know the difference between right and wrong and what is moral based on your last few posts.

Here It Is wrote:

When I was that age, I wasn't so "young and dumb" to know the difference between right and wrong.

Were you? If so, I feel sorry for your parents.

anEconomist wrote:

wow imagine wrongfully punishing someone in the manner described by the OP... people are convicted for crimes they don't committ

I see your point as well, but the issue you raise is more a separate matter of fixing the justice system. Are you suggesting that the current prison/punishment system is adequate?

For the sake of argument, let's say my "narrow" view applies only to rightly convicted criminals. These people are rarely rehabilitated through the current processes, so I see no problem with locking them away and figuratively forgetting about them until their time is up. Perhaps the period of intense suffering will influence them to "get on the straight and narrow" when they re-emerge into society.

With all due respect, what is your solution?

If you were born and raised in a different environment you would have some idea of how easily and quickly you could commit or be involved in a crime.

It's always you suburban coddled (as you should be) people who have no empathy for what you never experienced.

Remeber that time when you were coming home from your frat party a bit intoxicated, you could have easily crashed your car and hurt/killed someone. Oh poor me, now Ive got to watch my behind.

I don't know is my simple answer.I'm not sure that the number one problem with our justice system is that we coddle prisoners too much.I don't think jail time is something criminals relish. It is a deterrent.Perhaps more things along the lines of three strikes and you're out laws. I'm not really sure. I don't think making life miserable for prisoners will improve society in any meaningful way.

Shawshank wrote:

anEconomist wrote:

wow imagine wrongfully punishing someone in the manner described by the OP... people are convicted for crimes they don't committ

I see your point as well, but the issue you raise is more a separate matter of fixing the justice system. Are you suggesting that the current prison/punishment system is adequate?

For the sake of argument, let's say my "narrow" view applies only to rightly convicted criminals. These people are rarely rehabilitated through the current processes, so I see no problem with locking them away and figuratively forgetting about them until their time is up. Perhaps the period of intense suffering will influence them to "get on the straight and narrow" when they re-emerge into society.

With all due respect, what is your solution?

Here It Is wrote:

When I was that age, I wasn't so "young and dumb" to know the difference between right and wrong.

Were you? If so, I feel sorry for your parents.

so you never made a dumb decision when you were young? you mustve been the perfect child then am i right. no mistakes, no wrongs ever? wow your pretty perfect man.