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Time and time again we hear about some politician/s passing new laws or or attempting to pass new laws that increase punishments of those convicted of some crime or other. It is obvious, to me at least, that this line of thinking is a failure. Isn't it time that we start trying to come up with solutions instead of just adding more punishments?
Which do you prefer?
There is a point where incarceration stops being instructive and becomes destructive.
There is an 85% recidivism rate for those who spend more than 5 years in custody (iirc). This doesn't have anything to do with the individuals offense but the loss of community ties and institutionalization.
I'm personally of the opinion that prison should be reserved for those too dangerous to allow to run around with the women and children.
Everybody else should get some kind of community-based punishment. Or nights in jail, days at work, that kind of thing.