Damn near every day here in Memphis there's a report of some horrible shooting or homicide (technically crime is down like in a lot of cities but it's still really high). There was a big story about a year ago about a woman murdered by someone who had previously committed a serious crime. That story along with the constant drudge of awful crime news has led to a consensus that the DA and his lack or rigor in denying bail and getting light sentences is the biggest problem with crime in Memphis now.
It's infuriating and exhausting that I hear this everywhere both for the reasons you lay out here and because it diverts attention away from the rampant poverty and gun availability that are the main causes (to be fair people do talk about guns but TN Republicans are some of the worst people in the world and don't really let us do much about it). Thanks for this piece though, Noah. If I'm in a feisty mood I might cite it on reddit to at least give people some pushback on the bullshit.
The corporate slavery that exists in our prisons means they’re not going anywhere. It’s truly disgusting and horrifying that we have literal slavery condoned to enrich already rich people. It makes me wonder if we have learned anything.
These corporations need prisoners, so the violence and brutality that lead to more crime later are actually part of the plan.
Oh, come on Noah! America has the worst recidivism rate in the world, by a big margin. The post incarceration lives of offenders in the US in a never ending punitive congo line. Are you being disingenuous or just having a lark?
The United States has a current recidivism rate of 70% within 5 years (U.S. Prison Population, 2019). This means that, within 5 years of their release, 70% of prisoners will have reoffended.
Hardly a case of, oh gosh, most people incarcerated never reoffend. Most of them reoffend on a regular basis, they keep bouncing in and out, mostly short sentences. Same in Australia. Our rate is just shy of 50 percent within two years.
All this tells us is that Western prison systems are poor at rehabilitation, and for America, especially , quite obsessed with the punishment aspect - punishment during incarceration, and then forever more.
Compare this with the approach in various Scandinavian countries. They're closing prisons, not expanding them, because they focus on rehabilitation.
A prisoner today is almost always a member of the community in the not too distant future. Transition to the community should have much bigger budgets, as should training, education, health services, and rehabilitation within the prison systems.
Damn near every day here in Memphis there's a report of some horrible shooting or homicide (technically crime is down like in a lot of cities but it's still really high). There was a big story about a year ago about a woman murdered by someone who had previously committed a serious crime. That story along with the constant drudge of awful crime news has led to a consensus that the DA and his lack or rigor in denying bail and getting light sentences is the biggest problem with crime in Memphis now.
It's infuriating and exhausting that I hear this everywhere both for the reasons you lay out here and because it diverts attention away from the rampant poverty and gun availability that are the main causes (to be fair people do talk about guns but TN Republicans are some of the worst people in the world and don't really let us do much about it). Thanks for this piece though, Noah. If I'm in a feisty mood I might cite it on reddit to at least give people some pushback on the bullshit.
The corporate slavery that exists in our prisons means they’re not going anywhere. It’s truly disgusting and horrifying that we have literal slavery condoned to enrich already rich people. It makes me wonder if we have learned anything.
These corporations need prisoners, so the violence and brutality that lead to more crime later are actually part of the plan.
I don’t know how we end this.
Oh, come on Noah! America has the worst recidivism rate in the world, by a big margin. The post incarceration lives of offenders in the US in a never ending punitive congo line. Are you being disingenuous or just having a lark?
The United States has a current recidivism rate of 70% within 5 years (U.S. Prison Population, 2019). This means that, within 5 years of their release, 70% of prisoners will have reoffended.
Hardly a case of, oh gosh, most people incarcerated never reoffend. Most of them reoffend on a regular basis, they keep bouncing in and out, mostly short sentences. Same in Australia. Our rate is just shy of 50 percent within two years.
All this tells us is that Western prison systems are poor at rehabilitation, and for America, especially , quite obsessed with the punishment aspect - punishment during incarceration, and then forever more.
Compare this with the approach in various Scandinavian countries. They're closing prisons, not expanding them, because they focus on rehabilitation.
A prisoner today is almost always a member of the community in the not too distant future. Transition to the community should have much bigger budgets, as should training, education, health services, and rehabilitation within the prison systems.
The photograph of the below ground isolation Cell is arresting.
It recalls the discovery of tiger cages used during the war on Vietnam to put “enemy” families down in deep pits topped with mesh.
Your first section could use some editing to make stronger points and avoid phrases like “not very likely to convict crimes again“.
Really liked the identification of “punishment justly inflicted on bad people”
Outside of Trump how do we even decide someone is a bad person? Would love to hear more about this concept.
Thanks very much!