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Originally Posted by retiredguy123
Why do prosecutors and judges release repeat violent offenders into society when they know (or should know) that these people will commit more violent crimes? Why don't they prosecute them and put them in prison for the maximum amount of time prescribed by law? I don't understand the rationale. Do they really think that these criminals will go home and suddenly become law abiding citizens?
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I’ve just read about a guy who stole two cartons of ice cream and some whipped cream from Walmart at Buffalo Ridge and was charged with a felony and released on bail. A 60 year old Villager who was found high and passed out under a shady tree in his neighborhood was charged with a felony for have a vaping device and an ounce of THC oil. He was released on bail, too. (The odd thing is that he could have gone to a marijuana doctor, said he felt anxious, and received a license letting him have that stuff legally.)
Neither is likely to serve a day in jail for these crimes. The thing is, prison is very expensive. Apart from the fact that criminals choose to be criminals and that their actions damage or destroy lives and property, including their own, what are you willing to pay to put someone behind bars? Any trial is expensive by the time you pay for the time of all the people involved, from deputies to court reporters to janitors. Are you willing for we the people to pay, say, a total of $20,000 to mete out a 30 day sentence and another $30,000 for the incarceration costs? All for $10 worth of ice cream? A jury trial is much more expensive. District Attorneys don’t want to spend that money and time if they aren’t pretty much sure of a conviction. I read recently that incarceration in the New York City area exceeds $500,000 per year per prisoner. I’ve heard that it’s not much cheaper in Florida, but I’m not sure.
I myself believe we should follow the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (ratified in 1865): “ Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Sell these convicts as slaves or indentured servants for the term of their incarceration and let them do difficult and dangerous work. Better yet, make many violent crimes capital offenses and carry out the sentence within a few weeks in a humane way, like putting down a dog. I know most readers will disagree. Just my feeling on the topic. It would be cheaper and better for society and decrease the number of repeat offenders. I consider prison worse than death.