So writes today's Calgary Herald regarding the Magomadova case -- see my post of last night.
I agree in large part except for the reference to "deterrent".
Except for some commercial crimes punishment is not a deterrent. Here Magomadova was not thinking "maybe I'll get a suspended sentence" in the three minutes she took to choke her daughter to death.
Deterrent no but denunciation yes.
Beyond that, the Herald is right -- a young woman was killed because she did not conform to her mother's ideals -- that is unacceptable.
2 comments:
Punishment conflicts with rehabilitation and public safety. Making people violent is stupid. Given scarce resources, slash most resources to punishment and redirect to public safety (rehab is public safety).
Think of a way to punish that doesn't increase mental illness rates...I'm not sure about deterrence. If you dislike prison you might offend less, but you might have a chip on your shoulder too. A given level of resources devoted to punishment x, also increases public safety risks y, and decreases rehab likelihood z; they are corelated, suggesting less resources to punishment. Daycare is cheaper than future rehab. A USA study just found better kindergarden teachers equal higher earnings in adulthood, and instead of focusing on how this can be buttressed, we have GOP and political RCMP.
...should be y^1, not z in equation. Like 50% of prisons have mental illness, so probably the deterrence doesn't even matter for at least a 1/4 of prisoners. Why wouldn't you drop the punishment funding? And public safety can conflict with itself if a longer sentence in a sunless atmosphere leads to more diseases, mental illness, and higher violent crime odds upon release vs pre-incerceration.
We know income decreases crime rates, we know poor and young people get screwed over by you lawyery rich old people on the job market....so why wouldn't we kill Harper and his brainwashed AB cabinet's double time served cessation, and put the funding to Rooseveltian jobs, especially in provinces that don't give you welfare if you can't find work? Lawyers, judges, police and prison guards, construction firms are all parasites here.
Post a Comment