SmokeAndMirrors
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Re: Should a convicted violent felon be allowed to own guns after release from prison
This. If we had a decent system to begin with, there would be no need to treat felons the way we do in the first place.
The justification for denying felons their rights, these days, is the high rate of recidivism. But it has been proven over and over again than we can cut our recidivism down to a tiny fraction of what it is, if we focus on two things and two things only:
1. Can this person be rehabilitated?
2. If not, how do we keep the public safe?
Right now, our justice system is focused on vengeance, and it completely forgets to deal with how do we make people safer.
As another example of this stupid system at work, we shouldn't need a sex offense registry, because true rape and pedophilic criminals should never be released. The guy who streaked at a college football game shouldn't be charged with a sex crime. Voila, no need for a sex offense registry.
Lkewise, we shouldn't need to ban violent felons from doing anything, because they should either be rehab'ed or they should never be released. Voila, no more need to talk about their rights. They're either in prison or they're free.
The discussion we're having right now is a discussion about how we should work around a bad system. How about fixing the system instead?
Under our current "legal justice system" I have reservations about restoring all rights to a convicted violent felon.
First I'd prefer to reform the system, so that the incorrigibles are either executed or put away somewhere secure and unpleasant for life, while those felons who are fixable are incarcerated in rehabilitation facilities and are not released until there is solid evidence of real reform.
If that were how our system worked, then once released from custody I would expect the reformed felon to have all his rights restored to him.
Even under our current system, the rule against felons owning guns is something of a bad joke. I've known felons to re-arm themselves within 24 hours after release. Best to assume anyone you cut loose into society WILL re-arm himself if he chooses to do so. The fact that they can't legally buy from a dealer doesn't slow them down in the slightest.
This. If we had a decent system to begin with, there would be no need to treat felons the way we do in the first place.
The justification for denying felons their rights, these days, is the high rate of recidivism. But it has been proven over and over again than we can cut our recidivism down to a tiny fraction of what it is, if we focus on two things and two things only:
1. Can this person be rehabilitated?
2. If not, how do we keep the public safe?
Right now, our justice system is focused on vengeance, and it completely forgets to deal with how do we make people safer.
As another example of this stupid system at work, we shouldn't need a sex offense registry, because true rape and pedophilic criminals should never be released. The guy who streaked at a college football game shouldn't be charged with a sex crime. Voila, no need for a sex offense registry.
Lkewise, we shouldn't need to ban violent felons from doing anything, because they should either be rehab'ed or they should never be released. Voila, no more need to talk about their rights. They're either in prison or they're free.
The discussion we're having right now is a discussion about how we should work around a bad system. How about fixing the system instead?