Do We Really Need Prisons?

By Scott Hughes

Millions of people in the world currently rot in jails or prisons. People think of jails and prisons as an essential part of society, but do we really need them? Do prisons really protect people from violence and victimization, or do prisons just make matters worse? Let’s look at the different types of criminals that governments throw in prison.

Non-violent non-victimizers – Governments have a tendency to criminalize behaviors that do not hurt anyone. The governments create victimless crimes by creating authoritarian laws. When people break these laws, they have not hurt anyone in any major way. These laws can include any laws outlawing victimless behaviors, such as drug possession, prostitution, peacefully practicing a religion, and so on and so forth. For example, the United States currently has over 1 million people behind bars for victimless crimes, which only limits freedom and does not protect others. Instead of putting these non-violent people in jail or prison, we can just let them go and legalize all victimless behaviors. It makes more sense to let people have freedom than to waste resources enforcing authoritarian laws.

Incidental Criminals – Some people may commit an illegal act of violence or victimization due to external conditions. We can refer to these people as incidental criminals. These ‘incidental criminals’ do not have any more of a tendency to hurt others than the average person. For example, consider someone who has to steal to feed his family one day. Almost anyone would do that, so it does not mean we need to throw the person in jail or prison. If we can change the conditions that cause a normal person to a commit a crime, then we can do that rather than brutally lock a person in a cell. We have no need to throw a person in jail or prison if they pose no more danger than the average person but committed a one-time crime due to external circumstances.

Mentally Sick People – Finally, we have sick people. These people have some sort of mental defect that makes them a danger to other people. If we do not restrain these people, they will victimize other people. So we must restrain them. But why put them in jail or prison? They need treatment, and prison will not cure them; it will just torture them. If we put them in jail or prison, then we can never let them out because jail or prison will not cure them. If we put them into a treatment facility, then we may successfully treat or cure some of them, at which point we can safely release those ones back into society. We will protect more people by putting mentally sick people into treatment centers (including insane asylums), then by throwing them in jail or prison. These people need professional care in a medical establishment, not the punishment of prison.

I think most people feel like me in that I would prefer to protect people and to do it in as least brutal a way as possible. I have no interest in using the force of government to pointlessly get vengeance or inflict punishment using prisons. Thus, I see no need for prisons. We can release people who have no psychological defect that makes them dangerous, and we can put the ones with psychological defects in treatment. Let’s base our policies on sympathy, understanding, and a desire to protect people. Let’s not base policy on a wasteful indulgence in state-sanctioned vengeance.

Scott Hughes manages the [http://onlinephilosophyclub.com/forums/]Philosophy Forums, which contain a [http://onlinephilosophyclub.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=5 ]Philosophy of Politics Forum. You can use the forums to discuss topics such as this and more.

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What’s The Differences Between Probation And Parole

By Robert Davis

A reader asked this good question and I’ll try to give you the facts between the two.

First, parole is only given to an individual that is serving time in a prison. If your original sentence is two years, it could be cut short. Say you served one year of your sentence with no behavior problems. Then you might go before the parole board and be eligible to serve your last year as a semi free person. The reason why I say semi free is because you must serve that free time crime free. If you commit a violation or crime, you’ll have to go back to prison and serve that last year, plus whatever sentence you received for the crime that put you back there!

Probation is usually time given to a person in lieu of jail. Say you committed a crime that carries a sentence of two years. The judge could then suspend sending you to jail for two years and instruct you to serve that time a semi free person. This means no criminal action during those two years. If you commit a crime, off to jail you go for the original two years. It’s usually given to people who committed no violent crime, has no criminal record, or if the judge simply has compassion for you.

Oh, before someone asked what’s a parole board. A parole board is a group of officials ( usually consisting of 3-7 people) that reviews prisoners profiles to determine which are a risk to society and which might be trusted to faithfully perform the ‘parole’. They are usually appointed by the governor of the state they represent.

I hope this explains the differences between the two actions. Take care all!

This author submits professional articles to http://www.ezinearticles.com  His articles informs citizens about how to handle different situations when confronted by the police. He is a former award winning police officer. Mr. Davis is an authorize speaker to young police recruits in Louisiana. He is also a master in wilderness suvival. He studied criminal law at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In addition, Mr. Davis has been a featured guest on many television shows detailing how to detect rogue police officers as well as a defense against such officers. This author is also working with Authors Stephen Peach, the award winning ex swat officer of California, and Mike Madigan.  These two authors have also dedicated their lives to exposing rogue cops. Mr. Davis will be at Barnes and Noble, CitiPlace Ct., in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a book signing on April 14, 2007, from 1:00pm – 2:00pm.

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