Why does the USA have so many people in jail?

Yes, I know the Fraser Valley well.
You have a maximum security facility (Matsqui) and the super-max facility Kent in Agassiz and another medium security one I forget the name of.So there is a heavy concentration of prisons in that area, including some minor work camps where they get lower security treatment.
There have also been prison breals from the heavier security facilities. But does this mean we should do away with the whole system of down-scaled security for good behavior?Your experience is very personal and very horrifying.
It also explains some of your bias - understandably, I might add.But we have to be wary of extremism in both directions.
We can't just throw away the key on all prisoners because of events like these. We would end up putting more criminals back on the street if we did that. We don't here about all the rehabed prisoners that make good after they get out - because most of them want to put that experience behind them.

I have a neighbour who spent some time in prison many years ago. Today he's 65 and the most honest and loyal fellow you'd ever want to meet. Something worked.

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Thanks Ringo.I think a lot of people work and live around ex-cons without ever knowing it.The point is, we aren't being lax on law enforcement just because we treat prisoners with some dignity and give them some opportunity.
There is a point where being overly punitive will be self-defeating.
But try telling that to Republicans down here...But I am still looking for more theories on WHY we put so many people in jail in the States ?
No one wants to take issue with my position that we are now defining crimes too broadly, especially in drug enforcement?
Or is it simply that we are putting people in jail for so much longer for the same crime that the system is so full?

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I am interested to hear everyone's ideas about why US has more people in jail than any other country in the world

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As a culture, we like punishment and revenge.It's considered weak and "liberal" to have compassion, to try to understand the source of crime, to take the long view of crime as a result of socioeconomic factors.We are a cowboy culture, hindered by a chronic inability to see anything in any terms other than black and white, emotional terms.

Damn. I wanted to say that.

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I would not even bother to charge a person who stole from me after the police caught him. I would simply find him on a later date and recover damages myself.

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Yeah, vigilante justice is surely the answer for a safe and orderly society.

There are a significant number of illegal aliens (i.e. undocumented criminals) that are in the prisons.They don't all come here to work honestly.We need to stop the invasion. The Senate is about to sell this country down the river for a short term benefit.

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I have a neighbour who spent some time in prison many years ago. Today he's 65 and the most honest and loyal fellow you'd ever want to meet. Something worked.

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My former workplace of 7 years hired in quite a few people over the years from a drug/alcohol rehab facility. Not every one of them worked out but most of them became long-time employees and quite a few rose to hold positions of responsibility.

Thanks.

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They don't all come here to work honestly

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Therfore,

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We need to stop the invasion

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You sure that conclusion logically follows from the premise?This message has been edited by Infixion, 04-06-2006 05:48 PM

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There are a significant number of illegal aliens (i.e. undocumented criminals) that are in the prisons.

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They don't all come here to work honestly.

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1) What is the percentage of illegal aliens incarcerated in the US?2) How is it known that they came here in order to do crime, as opposed to coming here to find honest work and falling into crime through desperation?

Trying not to carry this too far OT, but the fact they are here is a crime. You seem to be saying that crimes should be ignored if they were done for a GOOD motive. And in addition, if the GOOD motive doesn't work out and additional crimes are committed, it's okay?

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Trying not to carry this too far OT, but the fact they are here is a crime.

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Yes, I know. But are the incarcerated illegals that TC was referring to put in jail because they were in the country illegally, or because they committed a different crime while in the US?

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You seem to be saying that crimes should be ignored if they were done for a GOOD motive.

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I don't believe this, no.

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And in addition, if the GOOD motive doesn't work out and additional crimes are committed, it's okay?

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No, not at all.It seemed to me that what TC was implying is that many of the illegal immigrants who come here intend to lead a life of crime in the US, such as becoming a thief or drug dealer or pimp.I wonder if this is actually based in fact.I suspect that it is not.This message has been edited by schrafinator, 04-06-2006 06:02 PM

I never claimed it to be a conclusion.
You are the one who put the "therefore" in the middle.Influx of criminals is just one reason to stop the inflow of illegal aliens.Low cost labor from illegal aliens, while nice for the employers who can skip minimum wage laws, is overall a bad idea, especially in the long term.I urge folks to write & call your Senators to stop the amnesty program (spun as "guest worker" and "path to citizenship" by both parties).

What's wrong with revenge?It seems like a lot of people don't stop to consider that maybe the reason that revenge feels good, and why people desire it when they've been wronged, and why schadenfreude is such a universal emotion, is because revenge is an entirely appropriate way to deal with crime. I'm open to the idea that there are a lot of crimes committed out of a life of desperation, but there are an awful lot of crimes committed because the criminal didn't give a damn about their victim, or felt that they could get away with it, or even if they got caught the punishment wouldn't be that bad. I mean, when the Press Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security is trolling for 14-year-old girls on the internet, what's the "socioeconomic factor" that provides an insight to the crime? The guy was at the top of the food chain, basically, and he felt he could get away with anything.If it had been a real 14-year-old girl, and not a cop, are you really telling me that revenge would not have been appropriate? Why?