After 28 yrs in prison, man can't handle world of cellphones & computers

[Darthphere]

Prison rape and violence is a very serious problem in America's correctional facilities, as is abusive behavior on the part of prison staff.

Prison rape and violence only happen if you go to prison.*



*Again, not saying that it's ok. It's not, they need to crack down on stuff like that but it's only an issue if you get your ass thrown in prison.

 

[The Question]

Prison rape and violence only happen if you go to prison.*



*Again, not saying that it's ok. It's not, they need to crack down on stuff like that but it's only an issue if you get your ass thrown in prison.

I never said that wasn't the case. I also don't see how it is relevent.

Canada has had legalized gay marriage for years now and it may be decades before we get that nationally legalized in America. I'm no fan of censorship, but it's a very hard case to make that America is more free than Canada when openly gay people have only recently been allowed to serve in the US military. If I had to choose between being able to burn a cross or being able to marry someone of the same gender, it wouldn't be a tough decision for me to make.

Turns out, a countrey can be very free and enlightened in one area and incredibly draconian in others. That's pretty much where the U.S. amd Canada are at right now, with their free and draconian areas being different from one another.

 

[Bat-Mite]

Turns out, a countrey can be very free and enlightened in one area and incredibly draconian in others. That's pretty much where the U.S. amd Canada are at right now, with their free and draconian areas being different from one another.

Very true. In an ideal free country, we would be able to marry whomever we wish regardless of gender, and would be able to say anything that we wished (apart from screaming 'fire!' in a crowded theater when there isn't a fire, etc.), no matter how hateful or offensive.

 

[The Guard]

So he could handle the 80's, but he can't handle our shiny futuristic technological advances, which he somehow had no knowledge of?

K.

 

[The Question]

So he could handle the 80's, but he can't handle our shiny futuristic technological advances, which he somehow had no knowledge of?

K.

Why is that so unbelievable? Technology has changed dramatically since the 1980s. The internet alone has changed so much about how people all over the world live their lives and has dramatically effected infrastructure and politics, as well as creating cultures and sub cultures of it's own which would be completely alien to someone who had little contact with the outside world since before the internet was a thing.

 

[Anubis]

But still, it wasn't like he was in a gulag. They had TV. They had internet. Wasn't like they had him locked up like Hannibal Lecter.

I think he was just institutionalized. He got used to showering every day with dudes, he coulda gotten used to iPhones.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

He must've known the existence of computers at least, don't prison inmates have recreational hours like watching TV?

hell if it was the uk he'd have a had a tv, a ps3, cable/sky and a chance to take a university course while inside

 

[Anubis]

He coulda gotten schooling over here as well.

 

[GhostPoet]

In America we put people in prison because we don't want to deal with the real issue...it's easier to sweep things under a VERY cluttered and full carpet than actually handle a situation.

Instead of tossing everyone and his brother into prison, minor offenders should be send to some form of rehabilitation, not prison. Therapy and force public service can go a long way towards changing a life. I believe prison should only be for 3rd strikers and SERIOUS crimes like rape, murder, etc...

Furthermore, there should be seperate prisons for different crimes. People sent to prison for violent crimes SHOULD NOT be inter-mixed with people who got arrested for smoking pot or hacking.

Another thing...college courses and degrees that can be taken online should not only be encouraged and pushed (but not forced) on prisoners. Some have been in a rut for so long they don't know HOW to change...but encouragment and nudging can go a long way towards realizing they can change.

 

[Darthphere]

It's extremely easy not to commit crimes.

 

[The Question]

It's extremely easy not to commit crimes.

We are aware of that. That doesn't change the fact that America's corrections system is largely ineffective at creating an environment that makes it less likely for ex cons to reoffend.

 

[DBryan]

It's extremely easy not to commit crimes.

Depending on circumstances.

 

[Darthphere]

We are aware of that. That doesn't change the fact that America's corrections system is largely ineffective at creating an environment that makes it less likely for ex cons to reoffend.

If depriving you of your freedom for years on end isn't enough of a deterrent to commit crimes, I don't see any hope for re-offenders. Honestly, you talk like these prisons are Gulags and they're being beaten with sticks everyday.

 

[Darthphere]

Depending on circumstances.

I'm curios to see how wrong you are, what circumstances would those be?

 

[The Question]

If depriving you of your freedom for years on end isn't enough of a deterrent to commit crimes, I don't see any hope for re-offenders. Honestly, you talk like these prisons are Gulags and they're being beaten with sticks everyday.

No I don't. I am stating a fact: Our prison system focuses on punishment, not rehabilitation. Prison life is designed to make prisoners miserable, and abuse from guards or guards allowing abuse from other inmates in order to "teach a lesson" is common. Also, prisoners of all types are thrown together with no programs to direct their time other than forced labor, which results in A) Largely unchecked violence and sexual assault between inmates and B) prison essentially becoming a crime trade school, with bored and bitter prisoners teaching each other how to commit better crimes.

Other countries, like the UK and Norway, focus on rehabilitation. They have in-prison programs meant to help prisoners come to terms with the severity of their crimes and behavior, and build them up into more productive and stable members of society. Living conditions are very humane, prisoners are given things to do other than victimize each other and learn how to be better criminals, and guards are encouraged to treat the prisoners like actual human beings. And the result of that is the reoffense rates in those countries are significantly lower than ours.

So wether or not you can see it, deterrence isn't the only way to stem reoffense and there is hope. The data proves that.

 

[Teelie]

I'm curios to see how wrong you are, what circumstances would those be?

Do you know how easy it is to commit a crime these days and not even realize it? Technically you're committing fraud right now as I doubt your real name is Darthphere. Under one of the many, many ineffective, overly broad and extremely loosely defined computer crime laws it's considered identity fraud to mask your true identity.

Criminal. Dirty, filthy criminal. You should be in jail for your crime!

No, the system really is broken but taking it to extremes on either end is not going to solve anything. Preventing the need or desire to commit crime is a better alternative I think. That's easier said than done though because quite obviously no one's figured out a fool proof way and the U.S. crime-deterent of hard time in jail is ineffective or we wouldn't have an overflowing system, would we?

Of course a great deal of them are minor offenses that 100 years ago people wouldn't even call a crime, like doing drugs. Dealing drugs may be another matter but do you know how many are in jail for smoking pot alone? I'm not even advocating legalizing it but come on, jail time? That's overkill.

 

[Vapor]

Just thought of this..

[YT]noNgNxv0Pow[/YT]

 

[DBryan]

I'm curios to see how wrong you are, what circumstances would those be?

SO many examples.

Say there's a guy who gets in your face and talks crap to you everyday, it would be extremely tempting to break the law and assault this person.

If you're starving, it would be tempting to steal in order to feed yourself.

A dear, elderly relative has cancer and wants you to see about buying them some weed to ease their pain. Do you just refuse them because of an arbitrary and silly law?

Having the internet makes it EXTREMELY easy and tempting to break the law by streaming/downloading music, films, tv shows that you're not really legally supposed to.

You have a poor imagination and poor empathy, an inability to put yourself into the shoes of other people.

 

[BlackLantern]

I do understand him being "institutionalized" and not being able to adjust....but he is a dirty convict

don't go to jail and you won't get separated from society, bum raped, or have to burn a house down to go back because the modern world scares you so

 

[Darthphere]

SO many examples.

Say there's a guy who gets in your face and talks crap to you everyday, it would be extremely tempting to break the law and assault this person.

If you're starving, it would be tempting to steal in order to feed yourself.

A dear, elderly relative has cancer and wants you to see about buying them some weed to ease their pain. Do you just refuse them because of an arbitrary and silly law?

Having the internet makes it EXTREMELY easy and tempting to break the law by streaming/downloading music, films, tv shows that you're not really legally supposed to.

You have a poor imagination and poor empathy, an inability to put yourself into the shoes of other people.

So having a good imagination and empathy involves these ****** examples? All of those things are completely avoidable.

I can put myself in other people's shoes and once I get out of them I can tell them how dumb they are, as in this case. You tried really hard to make a point, I see that you tried hard but darn it, it was just not good enough. I especially loved the buying weed for elderly cancer patient scenario.

 

[Aluchak]

I see a lot of "I'm not in jail therefore I am better than filthy criminal" thing going on here. You don't think its hell spending your life in a cell most your life? You don't think a lot, if not most prisoners have regrets? Yeah, they committed a crime. Some worse than others. Despite what you see in movies, a lot of crimes aren't planned and calculated, some are spur of the moment things, some are being raised to believe in things the rest of society deems unacceptable, and many other circumstances.

I'm not saying you should throw open your arms and invite every released criminal into your home, I'm just saying, just because you don't know what its like to put into the position where you've made really bad mistakes(which is great), it still doesn't automatically mean you're better than them.

 

[Darthphere]

Do you know how easy it is to commit a crime these days and not even realize it? Technically you're committing fraud right now as I doubt your real name is Darthphere. Under one of the many, many ineffective, overly broad and extremely loosely defined computer crime laws it's considered identity fraud to mask your true identity.

Um no because when I registered for the site it asked me for my real name, which I gave. Wow.

 

[Franklin Richards]

[YT]1zgja26eNeY[/YT]

 

[Aluchak]

Not that it can be compared to murder(which this guy was likely put in prison for) but here where I live, you can get up to 15 years in jail for growing weed. I'm sure a number of you are familiar with marijuana. I'm sure a number of you use torrents. I'm sure a number of you had got drunk before you were of the legal age. I'm sure you've all done something illegal in the past week. I went on the skytrain and didn't pay today. I've been in a fist fight before with some jackass from when I was in school. There are countless crimes people commit on a daily basis. Again, not saying it can be compared to murder, just don't act like you've never committed a crime before.

 

[BlackLantern]

No I don't. I am stating a fact: Our prison system focuses on punishment, not rehabilitation. Prison life is designed to make prisoners miserable, and abuse from guards or guards allowing abuse from other inmates in order to "teach a lesson" is common. Also, prisoners of all types are thrown together with no programs to direct their time other than forced labor, which results in A) Largely unchecked violence and sexual assault between inmates and B) prison essentially becoming a crime trade school, with bored and bitter prisoners teaching each other how to commit better crimes.

Other countries, like the UK and Norway, focus on rehabilitation. They have in-prison programs meant to help prisoners come to terms with the severity of their crimes and behavior, and build them up into more productive and stable members of society. Living conditions are very humane, prisoners are given things to do other than victimize each other and learn how to be better criminals, and guards are encouraged to treat the prisoners like actual human beings. And the result of that is the reoffense rates in those countries are significantly lower than ours.

So wether or not you can see it, deterrence isn't the only way to stem reoffense and there is hope. The data proves that.

because the culture is different....I do agree with you, mostly...but we need to determine who can be rehabilitated and who can't be

and sadly, or not, depending on your POV.....the culture in Europe have a very different view of those who go to prison...over here, you're basically a leper once you have gone to prison and come out