Have you heard about the new study the Pew Center released? Oregon spends a bigger percentage of its state budget to lock up criminals and supervise their parole than any other state, according to a new study that examined three decades of prison growth across America.
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1204259110324800.xml&coll=7
What do you think about that? I for one am not a big fan of what some call "rehabilitation". Criminal law is based on one of two theories, retribution (ie punishment) or rehabilitation. I believe that both have a place in preventing crime, however our system has gone WAY too far to the rehabilitation side. Prison is not a babysitter or college. We must re-institute the concept of punishment. There are many ways to make the punishment more severe. One of those ways is to lengthen prison sentences (ie Measure 11). The other would be to make prison less attractive (ie miserable).
Did you hear the story two days ago about prisoners fighting about what they would watch on TV, and this nearly caused a riot. Are you kidding me? On what planet are prisoners entitled to watch TV? I think that we should make prison just as miserable as the law and courts will allow us to. That will help keep the recitivism rates down. Last time I looked it was way over 50% of people that go to prison once, go back again. That is horrible and speaks to show that the rehabilitation theory that we have been implementing since the 60's does not work.
Friday, February 29, 2008
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