Incarceration just adds to criminal mischief
Mark Green
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Opinion
The staggering level of criminal offenses perpetrated against honest Americans each and every day is a sickening symptom of the decay of decency and accountability within our society, and severe measures against this plague should be enacted immediately.
We tout America as the pinnacle of a free and prosperous society. We condemn with shocked voices the civil rights violations that occur in other countries. We take it upon ourselves to carry the banner of freedom and moral behavior to other nations. But in the majority of American cities, decent folks are scared to walk the parks and streets for fear of rape, theft and murder. Women carry pepper spray, children should not talk to strangers and there are neighborhoods in many of our cities that are as rampant with random crimes against humanity as any slum or refugee camp in what we arrogantly call third world countries.
Incarceration is not working. Our jails are stretched to their limits, and criminals walk the streets on parole because there is no room for them to be imprisoned. In fact, I believe that incarceration, particularly in the case of juveniles, may be at the root of the crime problem.
To illustrate my point, I want to tell you about a friend I used to have. He first got into trouble for something relatively minor when he was young. After two to three slaps on the wrist, he was sent to juvenile detention. While detained he got three square meals a day, went to school, played basketball and worked on homework. And while he wasn't free, he had a higher quality of life than many honest people in this country.
He told me about the culture of us and them that he developed with the other criminals he was locked up with. He talked about how their frustration with being locked up gave way to anger, resentment and a sort of twisted pride that made criminal acts a testament to their reputation. They spoke longingly of getting out and getting back to their old ways, but now they had made even more criminal contacts and had burdened themselves with more bad influences.
We tout America as the pinnacle of a free and prosperous society. We condemn with shocked voices the civil rights violations that occur in other countries. We take it upon ourselves to carry the banner of freedom and moral behavior to other nations. But in the majority of American cities, decent folks are scared to walk the parks and streets for fear of rape, theft and murder. Women carry pepper spray, children should not talk to strangers and there are neighborhoods in many of our cities that are as rampant with random crimes against humanity as any slum or refugee camp in what we arrogantly call third world countries.
Incarceration is not working. Our jails are stretched to their limits, and criminals walk the streets on parole because there is no room for them to be imprisoned. In fact, I believe that incarceration, particularly in the case of juveniles, may be at the root of the crime problem.
To illustrate my point, I want to tell you about a friend I used to have. He first got into trouble for something relatively minor when he was young. After two to three slaps on the wrist, he was sent to juvenile detention. While detained he got three square meals a day, went to school, played basketball and worked on homework. And while he wasn't free, he had a higher quality of life than many honest people in this country.
He told me about the culture of us and them that he developed with the other criminals he was locked up with. He talked about how their frustration with being locked up gave way to anger, resentment and a sort of twisted pride that made criminal acts a testament to their reputation. They spoke longingly of getting out and getting back to their old ways, but now they had made even more criminal contacts and had burdened themselves with more bad influences.
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