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"Lenient" Sentences- rubbish

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The mass population mind extra taxes on education and healthcare, what makes you think they won't mind spending it on the prison system?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Luke,

    Your opinions are all very black and white and it's not like that as easy as that. Treat people badly on an ongoing basis and they will behave badly.

    People give out about how much prisons cost to run so to have longer sentences and run them on a 'punishment' basis it would cost a lot more. The point has been made that you go to prison as punishment not for punishment. Presumably you want people to come back out as people who can function well in society. Therefore you have to give them the opportunity to that by treating them with some level of respect - nobody is saying that it should be a holiday camp and it isn't one bit.

    The other thing is that there is often a long time between when somebody commits a crime and when they go to court and are sentenced to prison. Some people in that situation are fully aware that what they did is wrong and have faced up to getting things back on track but then the prison sentence comes and sets it all back.

    People end up in prison for different reasons and while some people might be 'evil' most are not and if their problems are dealt with they might be able to get back on track. Before you want tougher conditions just think that some time it could be yourself, your brother, father or son that could be in that situation.

    Where I was it was a prison in Dublin built in the 1850s that hadn't changed much since then. We were locked up for at least 17 hours a day (7.30 at night) and were only entitled to one shower a week. You got €2 pocket money a day (pay for smokes, drinks, toiletries etc.) , got one visit a week and a 6 minutes phone call a day. There were no toilets in the cell so you pissed in a pot. Any extras you had such as TV etc. could be taken away and you could be locked up for 23 hours if there was any trouble. That's not an easy life at all and that doesn't even deal with the bullying, intimidation and fighting that can go on.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    luke88 wrote:
    I think the mass population won't mind.

    Even if they didnt, it would be a waste of money.

    Unless you are going to keep all prisoners in prison forever you need to do something about the reasons for their actions.

    If you treat them like crap for all the time they are there they will come out with a big chip on their shoulder and be a worse threat to society than when they went in.
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