The Evil That Is Prison

[dargelos]

We're on the same channel;
"I think it has to depend from the crime how hard or less hard you have to be punished."
But not quite the same frequency.
I am trying to say that people in these minority groups go to prison when they would not have, had they broken the same law as a 'nice' person.
The rich person can hire a good lawyer who is expert at twisting the truth far enough to save the client from custody, look to the Philadelphia queerbashing case. The mentaly ill, drug addict, homeless, don't have that sort of money, all they can hope for at best, is the overworked underpaid low status public defence worker who can't spend the time needed to get justice.

London, last year, police arrest a homeless man for using the shower in a public sports club. The judge was incensed.
"The accused has no money, how could I fine him? He has no fixed abode so there are no community penalties that could be enforced. All I could do is put him in prison for a week. You want me to spend £450 for a week in prison plus nearly a thousand pounds in extra costs because he used ten pence worth of water taking a shower. Take him back where he cama from and don't waste my time like this again."
Not all judges are so sensible, some would have cooperated with the police and sent the poor man to the clink for nothing.
At the same time I see Lloyds Bank and Barclays Bank found guilty of a medley of assorted billion pound frauds. The directors who allowed those frauds to happen don't even get their botties slapped for naughtiness. The huge fines the banks were charged will be ultimately paid by the public. Massive crime, no punishment. Those are the opposite ends of the scale.
Equal punishment for equal crime, agreed. No it's not happening.
Where this is going is to say, stop putting people in prison who dont need to be there and the problem of overcrowding is over. Then the standard of education and rehabilitation can function as it was designed to do, to stop the revolving door effect.

 

[dargelos]

Now I must explain the revolving door effect.
It's hard enough finding a job and a room to rent for anybody.
If you've just come out of prison it's many times harder. Some landlords won't consider renting a room to a criminal, even if the crime was smoking a joint or taking a shower in the wong place. If you can't get housing you wont get a job, even supposing there were any jobs. Now try getting car insurance, your premium has now increased, not because you are any less careful a driver but simply because you are an ex prisoner. It's probably increased so much that cannot pay it. Without a car to get to work it's harder than ever to get a job.
Now the only people who will give you a job are the criminals you met on the inside. It won't be long before you're back in prison again, but at least this time it will be for a crime that actualy deserves prison.
That's the revolving door, go out one side, come back in the other side.