- Anything Else -

Recidivism, Punishment, and Violence

In Reply to: I'm looking! posted by Shaun on April 08, 1999 at 13:53:15:

For one, Canada is "less tough" on criminals than the US, and our crime rates are lower. I believe you will find the same in other industrialized countries. I believe the US is among the harshest on its criminals. The other countries put more effort into rehabilitation, and above all, PREVENTION. By prevention I don't mean more police, I mean more social workers, more community services, more peer support and drug support, I mean stricter gun control. I believe you will find these are your patterns, not the iron-fisted wardens you seem to envision.

Here's one for you: psychologists and sociologists have pretty much agreed a long while ago that the best way to teach somebody is not by punishment but by positive reinforcement. Punishment is generally understood to be THE WORST way to teach somebody, ie the least effective. If you get caught steeling, and go to jail, and the prison system and guards and wardens tell you all day long you are nothin' but a fuckin' criminal, OF FUCKING COURSE YOU ARE GOING TO REOFFEND!!! How hard is that to understand? Yet the stupid fucking rhetoric is always "We're too soft on them. Treat them worse." IT SOLVES NOTHING!!!!

As for TV violence, american tv is the worst, and american kids watch more of it than any other nation. There are 120 studies which have found a causal link between violence on TV and violence in young people. Are they full of shit? I doubt it. Kids have been playing guns for decacdes now, but not as much as today. Never before have there been as many violent toys in our stores. Never has there been more violence in movies. Never has there been more violence in TV. Never have there been more violent video games. Consequence? Never have young people ACTED so violently towards one another. Reason? Never before have people been THIS DESENSITIZED to violence.

Save me the "be harder on the criminals" crap. It solves nothing. Go to the sources of the problem instead of trying to lock up our "mistakes".

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