Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

Generally, I think our criminals are both more stupid AND more arrogant.  I 
think, not to belabor the point, that part of the problem is the p.s. 
system.  Kids learn more about avoidance of personal responsibility in 
school than most criminals learn about criminal behavior in prison.

I base that opinion on having done a lot of volunteer work with an 
ex-offender organization.  My "clients" were in Q, Folsom, Soledad and Black 
Mountain.  Combine that with working in public schools and, well, I'm fresh 
out of pity.

Well, since I managed to survive living in the projects and going to school 
in the ghetto, I don't think it is the government's responsibility.

These kids know more about the law than most lawyers.  They know their 
rights and they push it as far as they can.  There is no individual 
responsibility and everything is someone else's fault.

I agree that some laws should be done away with pronto.  Your list is part 
of it as is consentual sex between kids requiring that the boy be registered 
as a sex offender.

Judges shouldn't have a free pass.  Maybe if judges AND lawyers were held to 
a standard with consequences and punished accordingly there would be more 
equity in the law!

I think teaching personal responsibility is step one.  No more excuses.  I 
refused to take any client that whined oh poor me!

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gene GeRue" <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
> I am not at all sure that execution is a worse fate than being
> sentenced to spend the rest of one's life in jail. I personally would
> prefer execution. Which would you prefer?
> > The *supposed* war on drugs is not simply something that is
> > happening in the
> > U.S.
>
> I care about the comparison with other countries only as a measuring
> point, not as a comparison of punishments.
> > #1 -  I don't think being unhappy is or should be an excuse for
> > committing a
> > crime.
>
> Of course not. My probe is for reasons for our horrendous
> incarceration rate, a laundry list about which to think. So, among the
> reasons, I wonder if our citizens are more unhappy than the citizens
> of other, seemingly civilized countries.
> > #2 - Could you clarify this one.
>
> We have many laws against victimless "crimes," those acts that do not
> violate the rights of others, such as smoking marijuana, public
> drunkenness, prostitution, sodomy, attempted suicide.
> > #3 - I don't think this one applies.  I think we simply have far too
> > many
> > stupid criminals!
>
> So do you feel that our criminals are more stupid than the criminals
> of other countries? On what do you base such a conclusion?
> > #4 - As to harsher laws?  I think that would be all in how you define
> > harsher and whose laws you are comparing to.  Do you really think
> > juvie is
> > harsher than caning?
>
> Depends on the juvie sentence and how many strokes and how hard the
> cane.
> > #5 - I odn't agree with that one at all.  Our laws are rarely
> > followed as to
> > length of sentence and are far below those of other countries.
> >
> > #6 - That isn't an excuse for committing a crime.
>
> Not cavalier attitude by the citizen, but by the government, ignoring
> obvious and long-standing social inequities. How else shall we
> understand the high percentage of black men in jail?
> > #7 - I agree that EMPLOYED *first-time offenders* should be treated
> > with a
> > different set of rules (weekends, community service, fines and stiff
> > probation/parole) but only if they aren't repeat offenders.
> >
> > #8 - Compared to who?
>
> The other countries that have lower incarceration rates.
>
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