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Ummm, not quite Stevo....
Arizona has a recidivism rate of over 50%.
Most of their inmates (77%) are first time offenders.
Most of their inmates (56%) are in for non violent crimes.
That clearly is a system that is not working.
I am no bleeding heart liberal, but a realist.
People get sentenced to gaol "as" punishment, not "for" punishment.
The loss of liberty is a massive thing, and anyone who thinks any prison in OZ is like a motel, has most likely never set foot in one.
Prisoners shouldn't get pampered, but they shouldn't be treated like animals or slaves either.
Keep a dog in a cage, and belt it. It won't come out and be nice. It'll either come out and kill everything, or be broken and useless.
Some people are beyond help, but the majority aren't. If you don't treat them with respect (even the dregs), and use their time productively, at the the end of their sentence, you're letting out something worse than you originally put in.
I would rather a crim came out of the can, educated, with half a clue and some life skills, than a laundry man with huge muscles and a bigger chip on his shoulder.
P.S. The death penalty may wipe out recidivism, :Dput it has been proven, time and again, it doesn't lower the crime rate, or act as a deterrent.
Frickin bleeding hearts :p and assumption makers, you know what they say about assumptions :D. Given that right or left wing seems to make narry a difference, I would prefer this scum to be having the harder option. In terms of "overseas" countries like the US....it is pretty much too late...so quote all ya like. What I was referring to.....based on my knowledge......is countries like Singapore/ Hong Kong where harsh punishment has been in place from the get go and some of the Arab nations, ditto Japan. We as in Oz look like the US when it comes to crime rates,