Well, the criminal justice system exists for two reasons: deterrence and punishment. Deterrence depends on some variation of the reliability of criminals being caught and effectively punished. Example: if it were known that in 90% of the crimes, a criminal was caught and punished, it may very well serve to deter people from engaging in criminal acts. Example: if it were known that in 5% of the crimes, a criminal was caught and punished, but the punishment was something truly heinous and frightening, resulting in death, it may very well serve to deter. Note that torturing people is unConstitutional in the United States. There are three areas to be covered in the criminal justice system: capturing the criminal, prosecution and punishment. For the moment we'll concentrate on punishment only, for criminals who will be released back into society at a certain time. [Perhaps we'll open up topics on law enforcement and the judicial system, but one thing at a time!] Punishing people for the crimes they commit serves two purposes -- working off a 'debt' for breaking the law and ensuring that they never do it again. Ensuring that they never do it again means making the consequences unpleasant *and* giving the future ex-convict a chance to make himself good. So, the function of punishment is: repaying debts to society, making the consequences of lawbreaking unpleasant and giving the chance of redemption. Now, prisons have almost become R&R centers for hardened criminals -- where they get three squares a day, cable TV and internet access, access to whatever benefits and perks they want, etc, etc, etc. In other words, they fail in all three functions. An alternative to this is the "boot camp prison" concept employed in Arizona[??], which appears to have a much lower incidence of recidivism amongst the criminals sentenced there. [If I recall correctly, a prison system they have there consists of army fields tents, cots and stoves. There is no hot water heater, no coffee, etc. The inmates have to work during the day, and they have minimal access to reading materials, magazines and other devices]. The boot camp prisons have their merits, and do appear to be effective, in addressing debt and an unpleasant stay, but I feel that they fail in the area of redemption. I feel that they do not address one thing -- that an undeniable percentage of the criminals out there are out there BECAUSE WE FAILED THEM! [What?!? John, have you gone mad?!? Are you spouting this Socialist 'the criminal couldn't control himself'???] No. We, as a society, have failed to educate the criminal before he chose a life of crime. We have failed to help him improve himself when he was first sentenced and served his time. By our failures, we have exacerbated the problem. When someone passes through our criminal justice system, they should have every opportunity to reform and better themselves through education. I think mandating that no convict can get out of prison without first earning his GED will yield undeniable benefits. ["I sentence you to a high school diploma."] I think providing college level or vocational training to the inmates will ease their reintegration into society. However, just educating the convict only directly and adequately addresses redemption, and an inadequate amount of making for an unpleasant stay. It completely fails in the area of debt repayment. So, I've said that that boot camp concept fulfills debt and consequence, and I've said that education fulfills consequence and redemption. We can see where this is going .... Prisoners should do work, and it should be as strenuous and unpleasant as the system can possibly find and secure. However it is done, motivations must be used to ensure that the convicts work hard [a punishment/rewards system]. Examples: rock quarries, ditch digging, subsistence farming, or whatever unpleasant labor can be imagined. I imagine some sort of pay system could be set-up, where a convict has to 'earn' so much each day through productivity, to get out on time. Any extra they 'make' each day can be used towards goods available in the prison canteen. [This area requires more thought]. When prisoners are not working, learning, reading, eating or exercising, they should have nothing to do except sleep or stare at the ceiling in their cell. Prison should be a boring place to be, to the point that the convicts will want to exercise or take books from the library or sleep, just to kill the time. And I mean boring -- boring food, boring surroundings, boring clothes, even boring music playing in the background. There should also be time set aside for education, where it is mandated that all convicts will not leave without a GED, an adequate reading ability and adequate mathematical prowess. Further education should be provided in vocational specialties or towards college credits. By doing some rough math, with 24 hours in each day, we can break a day down accordingly: 8 hours of sleep 8 hours of work 2 hours for meals 4 hours for educational purposes 2 hours personal time [for reading, exercise, other wholesome activities, extra sleep, or crying through sheer boredom]. I think such a system fulfills the repayment of the debt through work, the unpleasantness factor is satisfied through physically taxing work, a thoroughly boring environment and a stringent educational system, and redemption is partially fulfilled through re-education. Partially? Yes, partially. You can educate a convict all that you want, but releasing him back into the world he knew, without assistance, will cause him to go back to the ways he knew. An ex-convict will require food, shelter, health care, employment/further education and 'maintenence'. Answer these needs -- make sure he has a place to live and food to eat, help him find or even find him a job, continue his education and keep checking up on his progress. Then see if he turns back to a life of crime. Anyway, my brief(ha!) rough draft on punishment. -- "The time is 2:55am. The addiction: Babylon 5." Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet (www.peterzale.com) -- John E. Jasen // DNRC Ambassador to Earth \\ jjasen1@umbc.edu -- -- My views are those of the DNRC only. Prepare to be domesticated --