Rant: Prop 5 & 6
The interesting thing to me is that after all the centuries of human existence we have only tried one method to "fix" people: punishment.
And if Proposition 6 is passed, we will continue this theme. I won't go into all what prop 6 says, but in a nutshell: it wants harsher penalties (jail time) for most all crimes, violent or not. By the way, this proposition will cost California millions of dollars a year because of more arrests, more prisoners, less chance for parole, more life sentences, more, more, more... So if you want to be more in the crapper, financially, or want the prison system to be more overcrowded or you'd rather spend your money on some nonviolent criminals after years of hard time becoming violently trained criminals ready for revenge, then by all means, vote yes. But if you understand that more punishment doesn't always led to less crime then I beg of you to review Prop 6 and make sure that is where you want your money to go. More government is not always good.
So, the interesting thing is Proposition 5 is kinda anti-prop 6. Prop 5 wants to reduce jail time for some types of non-violent crimes. For instance, in California if you possess under 28.5 grams of marijuana it's currently a misdemeanor, but prop 5 wants to change it to an "infraction" -- basically the same as a traffic ticket. This is good, really good. The amount of money saved by this prop will be immense. If you like money, then vote yes. Less government is good.
Let's talk about what prison's actually do:
Prison is first and foremost a deterrent, right? Like this phrase: "Oh shit, I better not steal that car cause I may go to prison." or "I better not murder that person because they'll fry me in the chair." And that seems to work--some of the time.
So since the deterrent of "going to prison" doesn't works all the time, then the second thing prison does is to house the criminal until they have "learned their lesson". Personally, if they are dumb enough to commit a crime, then they'll probably do it again and to put them in cage will only increase the danger when they are released. They may have been drug dealers on the outside, but on the inside they can perfect their craft, get really strong and learn how to kill a man hundreds of different ways. When released, they'll be the perfect violent criminal. Prop 6, if it passes, will be one the worst things that could ever happen to a state. It will turn drug users into drug dealers, it will turn car-jackers into gang members, it will turn teenagers into murderers, and it could cost you a fortune.
I'm not saying the time spent behind bars (punishment) doesn't help some people, it does, but there is a breaking point. Personally I think if you are a non-violent criminal and you spend more than a year behind bars, you must learn how to be violent in order to survive the nature of the prison system. Proposition 5 answers this and agrees with me.
"Punishment works for some people but they will probably die from the criminals it creates."
YES on 5
NO on 6
-
And if Proposition 6 is passed, we will continue this theme. I won't go into all what prop 6 says, but in a nutshell: it wants harsher penalties (jail time) for most all crimes, violent or not. By the way, this proposition will cost California millions of dollars a year because of more arrests, more prisoners, less chance for parole, more life sentences, more, more, more... So if you want to be more in the crapper, financially, or want the prison system to be more overcrowded or you'd rather spend your money on some nonviolent criminals after years of hard time becoming violently trained criminals ready for revenge, then by all means, vote yes. But if you understand that more punishment doesn't always led to less crime then I beg of you to review Prop 6 and make sure that is where you want your money to go. More government is not always good.
So, the interesting thing is Proposition 5 is kinda anti-prop 6. Prop 5 wants to reduce jail time for some types of non-violent crimes. For instance, in California if you possess under 28.5 grams of marijuana it's currently a misdemeanor, but prop 5 wants to change it to an "infraction" -- basically the same as a traffic ticket. This is good, really good. The amount of money saved by this prop will be immense. If you like money, then vote yes. Less government is good.
Let's talk about what prison's actually do:
Prison is first and foremost a deterrent, right? Like this phrase: "Oh shit, I better not steal that car cause I may go to prison." or "I better not murder that person because they'll fry me in the chair." And that seems to work--some of the time.
So since the deterrent of "going to prison" doesn't works all the time, then the second thing prison does is to house the criminal until they have "learned their lesson". Personally, if they are dumb enough to commit a crime, then they'll probably do it again and to put them in cage will only increase the danger when they are released. They may have been drug dealers on the outside, but on the inside they can perfect their craft, get really strong and learn how to kill a man hundreds of different ways. When released, they'll be the perfect violent criminal. Prop 6, if it passes, will be one the worst things that could ever happen to a state. It will turn drug users into drug dealers, it will turn car-jackers into gang members, it will turn teenagers into murderers, and it could cost you a fortune.
I'm not saying the time spent behind bars (punishment) doesn't help some people, it does, but there is a breaking point. Personally I think if you are a non-violent criminal and you spend more than a year behind bars, you must learn how to be violent in order to survive the nature of the prison system. Proposition 5 answers this and agrees with me.
"Punishment works for some people but they will probably die from the criminals it creates."
YES on 5
NO on 6
-
The interesting thing to me is that after all the centuries of human existence we have only tried one method to "fix" people: punishment.
ReplyDeleteWrong. In California, there are numerous diversions, deferred prosecutions, arbitration, programs, etc. Jail is a last resort.
For instance, in California if you possess under 28.5 grams of marijuana it's currently a misdemeanor, but prop 5 wants to change it to an "infraction" -- basically the same as a traffic ticket.
Wrong. Health & Saf. Code, § 11357 (b), possession of less than an ounce of mj, is not a true misdemeanor in that there is no jail time and only a fine. It does not need to be changed and I see nothing in Prop 5 proposing that it would be changed.
Prop 5 is horrible and creates a revolving door for drug dealers. No thanks. It won’t pass. You want to advocate for more drug treatment programs, fine. But prisons reduce crime. There has been a huge reduction in violent crime in California as a result of stricter sentencing.
And if Proposition 6 is passed, we will continue this theme.
What theme? That violent criminals should go to jail? Prop 6 increases penalties for the manufacture and sale of meth, the possession of loaded or concealed firearms by dangerous felons, funds additional training for police, and parole and probation officers, funds gang intervention programs, and increases penalties for gang related crimes.
Everything you say is wrong but I don't have the time or interest in explaining it to you. Luckily, the voters are not dumb:
Prop 5 will fail.
Prop 6 will pass.
(c) Drug addiction is a leading cause of crime in California, with high prevalence among arrestees, prisoners and parolees. Moreover, untreated addiction is deadly: drug overdose is the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States and disproportionately impacts persons recently released from jail and prison.
ReplyDelete(e) California’s corrections system does not provide meaningful rehabilitation services to most inmates and parolees. Nonviolent offenders can languish for years behind bars without education, vocational training, or rehabilitation programs of any kind. These inmates are then released into our communities without access to meaningful services, and with no skills or opportunities to help them safely and successfully be reintegrated into society.
(d) Independent studies by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, show that Proposition 36 [passed in 2000] saves taxpayers between $2.50 and $4.00 for every $1.00 invested in the program. Overall, the program saved taxpayers nearly $1.8 billion during the first six years of the new law’s implementation.