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 Corrections
Note: Before reading My Thoughts, please read My Disclaimer!
The "Department of Corrections" -- what a euphemism!
I thought "corrections" were things your teacher did to your homework with a red pen.
Oh, but I suppose even that is too harsh now, isn't it?
Anyway, I digress.
I'm thankful that I've never been jailed, but that's not totally an accident.
Certainly the stories you hear about some "cushy" prisons makes me wonder if we're too "soft" on our criminals.
For example, the
Arizona Department of Corrections proudly states that they've "Lowered...inmate grievances about conditions of confinement 11%."
I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
Let's ask the homeless people of Arizona about their satisfaction with their accommodations.
And, they deserve better than criminals!
While I do cringe when I see such things, I do applaud many of the things our state's and our county's "Department of Punishment" is doing, such as education and
job training.
Again, my concern is whether we are treating our criminals better than our homeless.
Much has been published about our county's Sheriff Arpaio and his exploits.
Sure, he's a publicity hound and more than a bit crazy.
And, I don't like that his actions generate a lot of lawsuits.
But, I prefer a prison where the inmates are scared to go there and don't ever want to go back.
That seems like the right type of message to send to would-be criminals, don't you think?
If they get free food, free housing, free cable, free gym/sports...well, that just doesn't sound so bad, compared to living on the streets.
If they have to eat bologna, wear pink underwear, work on a chain gang and don't get any perks, that seems a bit more appropriate, considering they are supposed to be punished, after all...
On a related note, there's something about "corrections" that I don't understand.
I'm sure a Corrections Officer would add to this list, but for me, the purposes of "corrections" are:
- Protect society from the criminal's bad behavior
- Punish the criminal for their bad behavior
- Help prevent the criminal from behaving badly in the future (which helps to accomplish #1)
Now, in my mind, you don't put 'em back into society unless these things have been accomplished.
A judge/jury can hand down an appropriate punishment sentence, but I don't want them back on the streets until we can be reasonably sure they won't do it again.
Given that I think most all of us would agree with that, then why do we need to do sexual offender monitoring?
If these people are so dangerous and so likely to repeat their crime, they why let them out of prison?!
We expend effort tracking sex offenders, but once a murderer or burglar serves their time, they could move in next door to you and you'd never know it.
If they are dangerous to society, keep 'em locked up!
If they've "paid their debt to society" and are rehabilitated, then leave them alone!
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