08-28-2006, 07:53 PM
Quote:Your words betray you:
I personally, after seeing the prison system, don't feel the punishments are tough enough. A lot of those guys live better in prison than their peers do outside.
My story was an exagerated example....one which sadly very probably happens often anyway.
Of course I'm not saying it will always be like that.
The whole idea of e.g. you finding that punishments are not hard enough is what bothers me.
Well bothers, it is more a different way of thinking. I agree with you that (theoretically) there are a lot of people that deserve very tough punishment. The question is just, what do you want your government to do?
Just without thinking to much keep punishing heavily, don't think about circumstances in prison, and give you a nice feeling of revenge and 'he is punished because he did wrong'. With all the consequenses....more violence in prison..and because of that the moral wrong of releasing these 'trained criminals' in society. With as only result they commit more crimes, and you can start punishing even more this time.
Society is not getting safer....it will get much more dangerous.
I know, it is a choice between what gives you a good feeling and what would be better for society.
Fact is that there is absolutely no evidence that making punsishments worse will lessen the amount of crime.