Good morning, A QUOTE By suppertime all that remains is the scent of balsam fir. If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant. --Jane Kenyon, “Taking Down the Tree” JUSTICE FEELS CRIMINAL Our criminal justice system is broken. Mandatory minimum sentencing, plea bargaining as a means of prosecutors racking up wins (regardless of culpability), terrible defense counsel, parole boards that hear arguments for retribution from victims’ families, inconsistent sentencing for similar crimes, ridiculously long sentences without any attempt to rehabilitate. Where does it end? We run a gulag of prisons that offer no philosophical basis for improving society or the lives of inmates. Prison is designed to keep people away from the “normal” citizenry, without rehabilitation. They pump iron, watch TV, join gangs, learn no marketable skills, and wait until they are released. Then they face a society more advanced than they left, with few social connections and vilification and labeling that make productive lives nearly unattainable.
#30 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 17)
#30 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 17)
#30 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 17)
Good morning, A QUOTE By suppertime all that remains is the scent of balsam fir. If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant. --Jane Kenyon, “Taking Down the Tree” JUSTICE FEELS CRIMINAL Our criminal justice system is broken. Mandatory minimum sentencing, plea bargaining as a means of prosecutors racking up wins (regardless of culpability), terrible defense counsel, parole boards that hear arguments for retribution from victims’ families, inconsistent sentencing for similar crimes, ridiculously long sentences without any attempt to rehabilitate. Where does it end? We run a gulag of prisons that offer no philosophical basis for improving society or the lives of inmates. Prison is designed to keep people away from the “normal” citizenry, without rehabilitation. They pump iron, watch TV, join gangs, learn no marketable skills, and wait until they are released. Then they face a society more advanced than they left, with few social connections and vilification and labeling that make productive lives nearly unattainable.