Families in disbelief after hundreds of bodies found buried behind Mississippi jail

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[–]weavilsatemyface 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

Actual reality:

The American Injustice Department intentionally moves prisons as far as way from population centres as they can, then transfers felons as far from their friends and family as possible. They make it as hard as possible for people on the outside to stay in touch with inmates, especially if they are poor or working class. This makes rehabilitation less effective, and perpetuates the vicious circle that once you enter the criminal justice system it is very hard to leave. Consequently there are thousands of people in prison that have completely lost touch with everyone outside the prison system. They are out of sight and out of mind, which is precisely how the system is designed to work.

(Personal anecdote: the daughter of a close family friend got in trouble with the law -- drug possession -- and with the greatest will in the world, I only managed to write to her three times and visit her twice in eight years. I'm not proud of it, but that's how it works.)

The answer Americans want to hear:

Because they're all nigger animals and white trash, and deserve everything that we do to them.

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Good prisons shouldn't be by population centers

[–]weavilsatemyface 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

I disagree.

Good prisons should be in population centres. Of course I don't mean right in the centre of prime residential areas, but they should be no more than an hour's travel by bus. Close enough that inmates can receive visitors, which keeps them grounded and focused on something to look forward too, helps them keep to good behaviour. Especially for parents in prison who can get regular visits from their children.

Of course this assumes that our aim with prisons is to protect society and rehabilitate people who break the law so they don't break the law any more and become productive members of society. If your aim is to have a permanent underclass of criminalised neo-slaves to work for corporations for $2 a day, then sure, we should put prisons as far away as possible.

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

No make it as hard on inmates as possible.

[–]weavilsatemyface 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Hard times make hard men.

You really want hardened criminals on the streets? Yeah, you're not trying to solve the problem of crime. You're trying to make it worse so you have an excuse to be cruel to people while still feeling good about yourself.

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Keep em in jail

Rehabilitation never happens

[–]weavilsatemyface 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Rehabilitation never happens

That's even stupider than people who think that a man magically turns into a woman by putting on a dress and lipstick. That's so obviously false that you could get a job doing PR for the Israeli army.

Even in ludicrously dysfunctional justice systems like the USA, the recidivism rate is just 60% not 100%.

In more sensible places like Finland and Norway, it's just 20%.

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's genetic, can't be learned. Just no impulse control.