I recently read on the news that there has been a rise in burglaries in my town .. which has me worried to death and installing locks on my cupboards where I keep my valuables.. (though good thing there's lots of unemployed people on welfare living here in this building, which are good friends of mine .. so they kinda act like security guards in a way.) Anywhoo .. a lot of people I've known who have gone to jail .. have only gone straight back to re-offending as soon as they left. To them it's like taking a holiday or something. Which leaves me thinking .. Do we need tougher penalties for thieves and burglars .. or just .. better rehabilitation programs? Do we need better addiction treatment .. ... that is, assuming that most modern robberies are motivated by the need to finance one's addiction to illegal substances? Judging by the systems of various countries .. it's no surprise that countries with higher crime rates also have tougher penalties .. for the most part. Though maybe we're finding ourselves in a chicken-or-egg dilemma.
Have you heard of the broken window theory? Societies that allow small infractions welcome larger ones.
If people are stealing for drugs then make drugs cheap enough it wouldn't be worth the risks. Most serious habits would cost less than $3/day to maintain at present manufacturer wholesale prices so a full blown addiction shouldn't cost more than cig money. Some people steal because that's how they support themselves, put them in jail for a long time and they'll be out of our hair. Poof, problem solved.
This is a really good point. It's one more way that prohibition just makes things worse. Is it illegal because it destroys lives, or does is destroy lives because it's illegal?
My next door neighbor house was robbed about 5 years ago during the middle of the day. I work from home, and was home when this happened. I didn't know about it until they told me days later. I realized this could have been my house. What would I do if that happened to me? That's when I started learning about firearms, how to use them and store them for safe quick access, proper ammo for home defense, etc. Two years later, I moved out of that house for completely different reasons.
My next door neighbor house was robbed about 5 years ago during the middle of the day. I work from home, and was home when this happened. I didn't know about it until they told me days later. I realized this could have been my house. What would I do if that happened to me? That's when I started learning about firearms, how to use them and store them for safe quick access, proper ammo for home defense, etc. Two years later, I moved out of that house for completely different reasons.
If something MUST be done rehab is better than jail but sometimes rehab itself can destroy a person's life. Like mandatory meetings and counseling sessions can get a person fired unless the meetings are pretty convenient, and they never are for everyone. Rehab must be rehabilitated.
I think it all depends on the person themselves. Some are probably able to be rehabbed, others aren't.
And that difference in people is some are able to be brainwashed, some not. No one can talk me into thinking smoking pot is naughty and shouldn't be done just as no one can convert me to Christianity. Those who keep an open mind can be brainwashed.
See, but I also think it's dependent upon the crime. Example, I have a man, my age (a couple months younger, we're both 30) near my residence. He's become a habitual offender in the sense that he has been arrested roughly 25 times. His crimes are usually of the same nature, though a few did fall away from his norm. Should he be sent off or rehabbed? I think he's past the point of the latter and might benefit from the former - and if nothing else, the victims he creates could benefit from him "being off the streets", as it seems there isn't an "easy" fix for him (and in fact, the judge is now trying to get him sent to state). I have a very open mind...I'm also very stubborn and can't easily be brainwashed. Quite the contrary, I use my brain for how I feel of the situation, rather than based on the feelings of others
Oh, I was talking about rehab for victimless crimes like Twisted mentioned. If your guy is hurting people he needs to go away, fuck rehab for that.
Come on, I've thought a lot about brainwashing since I was forced into going to four 12 step meetings a week for 4 years or so, almost a thousand fucking meetings. Having an open minds lets stuff in and it replicates, soon it's coming out your mouth. That's different than considering the merits of new ideas. When someone tells you to keep an open mind they aren't trying to educate you, they're trying to indoctrinate you. Or that's the way I see it.