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Diversity the Prisons, Make Them Look More Like the U.S.!

Should Prison Populations be More Representative of the Country?

  • Yes, definitely

    Votes: 3 27.3%
  • Affirmative efforts should be made to accomplish this objective, but no quotas should be used

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, definitely

    Votes: 6 54.5%
  • Others, and people who voted, post away!

    Votes: 2 18.2%

  • Total voters
    11

jbg

Active Member
The prison population, demographically, ethnically and culturally, does not reflect what America looks like. We as a country strive to make prestigious schools and employment look "more like America." Isn't it time that penal institutions do likewise?
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
The prison population, demographically, ethnically and culturally, does not reflect what America looks like. We as a country strive to make prestigious schools and employment look "more like America." Isn't it time that penal institutions do likewise?
It is. Eradicate the institutional racism and bias and bingo, prisons will be a true reflection of America.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
Most prison escapees are white, and this will only increase if the US incarcerates more of us. Therefore I don't think its a workable idea, unless you also help more non-white prisoners to escape. Another option is to require white escapees to take non-white ones with us whenever we dig our tunnels etc.

But this does not speak to my opinions upon affirmative action and so on. I'm speaking specifically upon this one situation of diversifying prisons.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The prison population, demographically, ethnically and culturally, does not reflect what America looks like. We as a country strive to make prestigious schools and employment look "more like America." Isn't it time that penal institutions do likewise?
Yes it should be more like the general population. And it would be, if there was less racial prejudice in the police, more effort to help poor communities improve their lot in life and better effort to rehabilitate offenders so that they do not re-offend.
 

Viker

Häxan
The prison population, demographically, ethnically and culturally, does not reflect what America looks like. We as a country strive to make prestigious schools and employment look "more like America." Isn't it time that penal institutions do likewise?
Our prison system is a reflection of the US. We're still an institutionally racist society. Our prisons reflect this perfectly. It also reflects that we're not interested in justice, reform, correction or penance. We're only interested in retaliation and as much punishment as we can dole out.
 

Debater Slayer

Vipassana
Staff member
Premium Member
It is, an example of which is the make-up of the prison population.

You'll always find people claiming that people commit crimes due to some inherently immoral drive rather than circumstances or material conditions. Of course, I think this is an extremely flawed perspective and an example of why dialectical materialism is far more realistic than idealism.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
I love to use metaphors. :) This was the premise.

The American treasury spends billions of dollars to build prisons and penal institutes but won't spend a dime to create employment within the most troubled areas, in order to eliminate poverty within certain communities, which is the fertile background for the commitment of crimes.
And they are disposed to spend more and more billions on law enforcement, penitentiaries, etc... and all those things that are for punishing crime.

What about preventing crime, by eliminating the causes of crime? Because once you make the troubled areas productive, you will save money on more inmates. Maybe people have no idea of how much it costs to support all those inmates, a year.

It's exactly as if someone decided to spend 100 dollars on washing a big carpet, every time it gets dirty, ...
when the same identical carpet can be bought for $ 25. A brand new carpet.

Can one be more pointless and more idiotic than the US treasury? I don't think so.

By the way, I chose the first option.
 
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Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
Punish whoever breaks laws, and do not give any consideration to race or wealth.

Fix the prisons though and improve access to mental and physical health care. How? I'll tell you how. Its obvious or at least far more obvious than diversifying prisons is.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
Yes it should be more like the general population. And it would be, if there was less racial prejudice in the police, more effort to help poor communities improve their lot in life and better effort to rehabilitate offenders so that they do not re-offend.

I would say the prison population already does reflect the general population with its murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc. Is the conviction rate higher among these populations, quite possibly. In Massachusetts there is considerable effort to rehabilitate with many privileges But lets get real, there are also those who are impossible to rehabilitate, especially those serving long sentences. One of my grandson's is a CO at a medium security prison. Last year a prisoner was transferred from a maximum-security prison where he was serving a life sentence. During his gym time he used a 50lb weight to beat a CO almost to death.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
We already know that legal help is out of the reach of the poor, because law people award themselves 300$ per hour. We already know that only physicians and nurse practitioners. may run clinics, and they charge us until our backsides bleed and then go further in afterwards -- something like 1000$ to 3000$ per hour. The bar association pretends this is all natural and a necessary situation, but its not. The medical association does, too. They also pretend that Dentistry must be a separate discipline, so that the insurance industry can deny dental insurance to the vast majority of the population. Its all foo foo and its a major cause of criminal activity. And its not because of capitalism.

Far better to have less qualified doctors that can be afforded and less qualified lawyers that can be afforded. That would be capitalism. Sorry, but I'll never be able to afford anything that costs 300$ per hour except in 7 minute pieces, which is about the amount of attention I get from a doctor. I get about 7 minutes of their attention in exchange for waiting 3 weeks for an appointment that they are always late for.

Now tell me, again, how obvious is it that diversifying prisons is some kind of clear vision and will fix all of that mess. Or tell me how eliminating Capitalism will or tell me again that the EU is made up of hippy ninjas that never have problems.

I love to use metaphors. :) This was the premise.

The American treasury spends billions of dollars to build prisons and penal institutes but won't spend a dime to create employment within the most troubled areas, in order to eliminate poverty within certain communities, which is the fertile background for the commitment of crimes.
And they are disposed to spend more and more billions on law enforcement, penitentiaries, etc... and all those things that are for punishing crime.

What about preventing crime, by eliminating the causes of crime?

It's exactly as if someone decided to spend 100 dollars on washing a big carpet, every time it gets dirty, ...
when the same identical carpet can be bought for $ 25. A brand new carpet.

Can one be more pointless and more idiotic than the US treasury? I don't think so.

By the way, I chose the first option.
"This could never happen in the EU, because we're hippy ninjas who have no corruption in our legal, medical or political services." Such pretense. I guess we deserve it for ragging on everyone else during the 1960's.
 

Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
If certain demographics and cultures would get their act together and make better choices… there would not be so many of them in our prison system.

Obey our laws… or suffer in chains. You will have only yourself to blame. How about instead, you do something great with your lives- lawfully- and work hard to achieve your dreams, and set better examples for your progeny? Be the one to break the cycle and give your children opportunities you did not have.

Or, maybe none of that is important to you.
 

ImmortalFlame

Woke gremlin
If certain demographics and cultures would get their act together and make better choices… there would not be so many of them in our prison system.

Obey our laws… or suffer in chains. You will have only yourself to blame. How about instead, you do something great with your lives- lawfully- and work hard to achieve your dreams, and set better examples for your progeny? Be the one to break the cycle and give your children opportunities you did not have.

Or, maybe none of that is important to you.
What an interesting perspective.

Speaking of which, I remember asking you previously why you think "certain demographics and cultures" over over-represented in the prison system, since you and I both agree that race has nothing to do with it.

Do you have an answer now?
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
"This could never happen in the EU, because we're hippy ninjas who have no corruption in our legal, medical or political services." Such pretense. I guess we deserve it for ragging on everyone else during the 1960's.

It does happen in the EU. :)

But here in Europe there is not a plutocratic pyramidal system that tends to idolize the most moneyed classes, for the sake of a Darwinistic law of the fittest.
 
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Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
What an interesting perspective.

Speaking of which, I remember asking you previously why you think "certain demographics and cultures" over over-represented in the prison system, since you and I both agree that race has nothing to do with it.

Do you have an answer now?

I don’t think any demographic or culture is “over-represented” in our prison system. The numbers accurately reflect who it is within our population who are refusing to obey our laws.

They get zero sympathy from me. In fact, I think our system is far too generous to these criminals.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
Punish whoever breaks laws, and do not give any consideration to race or wealth.

Fix the prisons though and improve access to mental and physical health care. How? I'll tell you how. Its obvious or at least far more obvious than diversifying prisons is.

Perhaps less consideration could be given to wealth if everyone were required to use public defenders...

Even the playing field a bit.
 
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